This photograph was taken in approximately 1870 and depicts four male miners standing in mining sluice at the Three Mile Goldfields. These men are wearing typical attire for 1870s gold miners. They wear white shirts, tan coloured pants with water proof shoes and most of the men are wearing an apron to prevent their clothing from becoming too dirty from the mud. Each man is wearing a wide brim hat and hold large wooden tools used for sorting through the sluice. Three of the four men have full beards. The photograph was donated to the Burke Museum by R. Ziegenbein before 2001 but the photographer and the individuals captured in the photo are unknown. The image depicts the landscape of the Three Mile Goldfields during a period when open cut sluicing was undertaken to reach gold. Open cut sluicing is a method used to extract gold and other precious metals from beneath the surface of the earth. This technique involved the use of high-powered hoses which broke down the soil enabling miners to come along and search this soil for gold. After the gold rush of the early 1850s, diggers had to enlist the assistance of heavy machinery and techniques like hydraulic sluicing in order to reach gold because the surface alluvial gold had already been discovered and removed. This heavy machinery was not used until after 1853. The Three Mile Goldfields was a site of rich alluvial gold deposits located about 5 km south of Beechworth in Victoria. Today, the location of this gold deposit is called Baarmutha. It was a popular area for gold mining in the 1850s but became largely abandoned by the following decade. In 1865, a man named John Pund recognized that the area could be potentially rich if a better water supply could be obtained. He secured a 15 year license with three other miners. Within the next five years, these men had constructed 19 km of water race going from Upper Nine Mile Creek to Three Mile Creek. By 1881, these four men had delivered 950,000 gallons to the Three Mile Sluicing area which is depicted in this photograph. Pund was later go into partnership with John Alston Wallace who would become owner of the Star Hotel in Beechworth. The Three Mile sluicing location continued to be operational until 1950. Sluice box workers were a vital part of gold mining regardless of how inefficient they were in the recovery of gold. After using hydraulic sluicing to cut away the earth, miners would use the big wooden boxes depicted in the image to catch the earth which would then be sifted for gold. However, accidents would occur often which would result in the gold washing away and unable to be recovered. It was not a very efficient system because the gold, which was alluvial and thus very fine, would often pass through the sluice box undetected.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. Images, like this one, of Australian gold rush history can reveal important information about the social and environmental impact of this period. This image depicts diggers standing in a mining location and therefore, this image has the capacity to reveal or support significant information for researchers studying the fashion and social status of diggers in Australia in approximately 1870. It can also provide information on the landscape of Australia in this period and the impact of mining for gold on both society and the Australian landscape. The Burke Museum is home to a substantial collection of Australian mining photographs which can be used to gain a deeper understanding into life on the gold fields, technology used in mining, the miners themselves and the impact of the gold digging on the environment.Sepia toned rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper and mounted on board.[illegible] about 1870 / 97 2514.1 / 2594 30three mile goldfields, goldfields, 1870, 1870 gold, australia, australian landscape, miners, gold miners, diggers, gold diggers, beechworth, victoria, sluice box workers, sluicing, sluice, mining

The 1884-1885 Directory was the first year of publication for the Middleton and Manning's Gippsland Directory. It was first published by Ale Middleton and Francis Beresford Manning. Beginning with advertisements from local businesses of the time, this is followed by a short gazetteer of places around the region, as well as general information on the districts of Gippsland. The main part of the Directory consisting of about 100 pages, is the Alphabetical Directory. Listed alphabetically by surname under each region, this lists heads of household (mostly male but there are a few females mentioned), together with their occupation and address.The list includes farmers, labourers, coach painters, dairywoman, teacher, saddler, brickmaker, merchant, laundress, hotel keeper, minister of religion, dressmaker, grocer, grazier, gasfitter, seedsman, coachbuilder, engineer, auctioneer, upholsterer, fowler, journalist, surveyor, musician, traveller, watchmaker, solicitor, restaurant keeper, blacksmith and miner. It is not just "business owners" mentioned in this directory it is everyone. (ref Gen E Books)This is a useful reference tool.A 135 pp soft covered book with an orange/brown cover. On the front cover in black print is a range of advertisements or local businesses. It contains a short gazetteer of places in the region as well as general information on the districts of Gippsland. The main part of the directory is an alphabetical list of the household , with occupations and addresses. This is a reprint of the original.directory-gippsland book-middleton-manning-1884-5

This is a certificate of indenture, a legal agreement, between George Beattie of Forest Creek, near Castlemaine in the colony of Victoria, and Peter Christian Smith of the same place. Both were miners. Beattie was the vendor and Smith paid twenty-five pounds for a land parcel. The contract was witnessed by John Hedderwick, a law clerk in Castlemaine. There is a record in the Mount Alexander Mail, dated Wed. 22 April 1857, of George Beattie purchasing land for three pounds, sixteen and sixpence in Castlemaine and that it was withdrawn. Records also show that a Peter and Thomas Smith farmed in Sandon near Castlemaine.This item is a useful research tool as it a hand-written record of part of the history of the gold fields region of Victoria.A white paper certificate of conveyance with black print and hand-written details from George Beattie to Peter Smith. There is a wax seal on the second page.beattie-george smith-peter-christian castlemaine-certificate-conveyance

Photographic record by Russ Haines, RDHS, in October 2008.

This miner’s pick was of the type used to extract limestone at the Warrnambool limestone quarries, mainly for buildings and walls. This pick cut the sides and the top of the block and then it was levered off with a crowbar at an angle of about 30° to 40°. These blocks were then reduced to the required size using cross cut saws. There were about 12 limestone quarries operating in Warrnambool in the 19th century and limestone was extensively quarried for about 85 years to the 1930s when quarrying ceased. Today there has been a small revival in the Warrnambool area in the use of limestone blocks for building. Warrnambool also once had several bluestone quarries on the outskirts of the town. This miner’s pick has a wooden handle with rounded sides tapering to a wider end. The wood is weather-worn and split in places, especially at the top end. The pick is metal with a curved shape that tapers to a point at one end. The metal near the other end has a cavity into which is inserted the wider end of the wooden handle. limestone quarries in warrnambool, quarrying in warrnambool, warrnambool history

This miner’s pick was of the type used to extract limestone at the Warrnambool limestone quarries, mainly for buildings and walls. This pick cut the sides and across the top of the block and then the block was levered off the strata using a crowbar at an angle of 30° or 40°. These blocks were then reduced to the required size using cross-cut saws. There were about 12 limestone quarries operating in Warrnambool in the 19th century and limestone was extensively quarried for about 85 years to the 1930s when the quarrying ceased. Today there has been a small revival in the use of limestone blocks for building. Warrnambool also once had several bluestone quarries on the outskirts of the town. This miner’s pick is of considerable interest as an example of the type used in quarrying limestone in Warrnambool . Quarrying was once an important industry in Warrnambool. This miner’s pick has a short wooden handle with a metal stud inserted at the bottom end. The handle is rounded on the sides and tapers slightly from the top to the bottom. The metal pick has a curved shape with one blunt end and one sharp end. It has a cavity in the end nearest the blunt end and the wooden handle slots into this. The pick is painted black, green and orange, perhaps for display purposes. A handwritten information tag is attached to the handle. quarrying in warrnambool, limestone quarries in warrnambool

The Ballarat Technical Art School building was opened in 1915. It is not known when the stained glass was put into position.Colour digital photograph showing the stained glass at the Ballarat Technical Art School. The mining lamp detail is on the entrance door to the Ballarat School of Mines Technical Art School building. The design features three tools associated with mining, the miners lamp and two hammers. Their is also stained glass on the entrance doors and a window by the entrance.ballarat school of mines, ballarat technical art school, stained glass, miners lamp, entrance

Formerly KV 071. It was used to break up rock and ore, making it easier to extract valuable minerals. The pointed end of the pick axe was used to chip away rock, while the flat end was used to strike the rock for breaking it apart. This one has a short handle. Miners picks were commonly used in the the 19th and early 20th centuries for extracting gold from underground mine tunnels.Used in the Kiewa Valley where prospecting for gold occurred.Formerly KV 071. Cast iron symmetrical pick tool on cast iron with a wooden handle. It has a pointed end and a flat end. It is 12 inches long.gold mining, miners' pick axe, hand tool

This book is a register of land holders with miners' rights. The correspondence is associated with applications for miners' rights on privately owned land and business sites. They include application fotrms and objections to registrations. The areas referred to are Combienbar, Goongerah, Club Terrace, Wombat Creek and Dundong. One of the privileges under the Mines Act, conferred by the holding of a miner's right until 1935 was that of residence on up to one acre on a gold-fields area. Those occupying a residence area were "deemed in law to be possessed ... of such ... parcels ... and the property therein".This is a useful research tool.A large, heavy book with a grey cloth cover and red spine. The end papers are marbled. The inside pages are ruled in grey with red ruled columns. Entries are hand-written. There are copies of correspondence inside. Details given are the registration number and date, the name of the person, the number of the miner's right and its date, a description of the allotment and any remarks or references to other volumes. Any changes of ownership are shown. The book is mostly unused.register-mining miners-rights

The Ballarat Technical Art School building was opened in 1915. It is not known when the stained glass was put into position.Colour digital photograph showing the stained glass detail on the entrance door to the Ballarat School of Mines Technical Art School building. The design features three tools associated with mining, the miners lamp and two hammers. ballarat school of mines, ballarat technical art school, stained glass, miners lamp

A number of images relating to mining in Cornwall dating from around 1927.mining, cornish, cornish mining, underground workings, underground mining, cornish miner, cornwall, child labourers, candles, pick, tools

This lamp is typical of lamps used in Welsh Coal Mines. It was purchased from the supplier around mid 1995. The Welsh Miners’ Lamps were ingeniously designed over 180 years ago to alert coal miners to danger. It ensures the burning of a protected flame in the presence of explosive gas, by regulating the necessary supply of atmospheric air, and by allowing the products of combustion to pass through without igniting the gaseous atmosphere. If the atmosphere is so heavily charged that noxious gas enters the lamp, its presence will be indicated by a change in the length and color of the flame, and (unless there are exceptional circumstances), the miner has sufficient warning to secure his safety. (http://www.welshminerslamps.com/info_lamp_personaluse.shtml, accessed 06/05/2015) E. Thomas & Williams, Ltd. mining lamps have been in continuous production since 1860. Cambrian Lamps are approved for use in coal mines where methan gas and oxygem deficinecy are hazards.Solid Brass traditional miners Flame Safety Lamp with Copper Chimney. The base of this lamp is tooled from solid brass because brass does not spark when it hits rock and is therefore the safest metal to use underground. The lamp burns lamp oil (kerosene). R. Thomas and Williams Ltd Makers Aberdare Wales Cambrian No 152897mining lamp, miner's lamp, thomas and williams, wales, welsh, welsh miners lamp, mining, cambrian lampworks, miners flame safety lamps

Photograph included in book "Victoria: Gold and Minerals" issued by Mines Department Victoria, 1935Photographvictoria, underground drilling, pneumatic drill, rail tracks, hand pushed cart, gold mining, mining, tools

This type of pick used in mining and tunnelling.Metal, slightly curved sharp end with hammerable top end. Open hole for handle which would have been wood.mining, pick, tools, trades

This gold miner's pick from the Ballarat Goldfields c 1920 was donated by Mr David Hopcraft, a dealer at the Arkuna Market Berwick, Victoria in December 2010. When Gold was discovered in Victoria c1853 most of the labourers and some landowners left the market gardens and farms to try their luck on the goldfields. Local Blacksmiths made picks similar to this one for them. There was a great shortage of labour in Melbourne and at the same time, due to the huge influx of people lured by the Gold, there was an increased demand for food. The market gardeners were getting very good prices for their produce and many increased their wealth considerably and many of these tenant farmers were able to purchase their blocks of land and live a profitable life. There was such a shortage of labour that J.B.Were applied for Irish immigrants to work the farms. This pick is an example of the hand made tools many pioneers took with them when they abandoned their farms and market gardens in the District of Brighton to try their luck at prospecting when gold was discovered in Ballarat and Bendigo c1853. Some were successful , most were not and retuned again to the hard life of farming. A forged steel pick with a wooden handle. The steel pick-head was hand-forged by a blacksmith. This miner's pick was used on the Ballarat gold-fields c1920gold mining, ballarat, bendigo, early settlers, market gardeners, moorabbin, bentleigh, mining equipment, gold rush, immigrants, blacksmiths, forges, tools

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. Your town has a history tool How much of its story can you write? Markings: 62 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Detaching Hook used in a gold mine. Used to detach the cage from the cable if the winder doesn't stop winding as the cage is being brought up Previously labelled #146 from mechanics Institute Eaglehawk. Consists of three large steel leaves bolted together. 35cm x 20cmcottage, miners

Long Wooden Handle with wooden Threaded end and round threaded nut. Approx 60cm long. Previous label # 140 Ex Mechanics Institute Eaglehawkcottage, miners

Miners Pick Head ; Steel, Approx 30cm. Previously #26gold, goldfields, mining

Winding Clamp- Two Handled , Approx 15cm (Previously in Box 45 from Mechanincs Institute Eaglehawk)cottage, miners

Adjustable Spanner, Twisted Rope Style Handle. Approx 20cm in size (Previously from Box #45 Mechanics Institute Eaglehawk)gold mining, miners' safety cage

Star Drill. Large Metal Punch (Previously in Box #45 from Mechanics Institute Eaglehawk) Approx 30cmgold mining, miners' safety cage

Metal tool for crimping or pinking, leather, felt, etc, with enclosed note reading, this is Grandma Junipers pinking iron, you put the edge of flannel or felt on a piece of lead & tap with the hammer, makes a nice scallop edge for rugs or anything like edge for mats etc, Grandma used to use it quite a lot.K R Timmins & Sonscottage, miners

Photographic Album - 19th Century Portraits. This album is in a handsome leather tooled cover with brass ring clasp - pages have gold edging to match the gold tooling on front cover.This album comes from ''Old Box 94'' which generally contains ephemera from Merle Bush. However, this album has no identifying inscriptions (but see the following notes). There are approx 44 portraits of children, males, females, mixed groups taken by a range of studio photographers (Sandhurst, Melbourne, Stuttgart and possibly from other cities?) There appear to be no inscriptions on the reverse of these photos - but not all have been removed for checking. One photograph (R Dermer Smith, Sandhurst has a photograph Number #753 on reverse and show a man/boy?, woman and child on the front verandah of a house. There are 6 loose cards within the book which may give some indication as to the family connection; 1. Mr W Tainsh - Echuca; 2. Frau Pastor Leypoldt - Lutheran Parsonage, Bendigo; 3. Miss H Janie Schleiger; 4. Citizens' Life Assurance Co Ltd - Represented by A A Brooker(?); 5. Card with inscription in German below print of ? Luther) and handwritten text in German on reverse (difficult to read), date 11/11/83; 6. black bordered card ''In Memoriam'' (no name).cottage, miners