Physical description

Diggers & Mining. The Diggings The Diggers. Slide: The early years of the rush-1852 and 1853-were the best years for the diggers. But thereafter, although many continued to do well, the average annual earnings of the diggers declined rapidly. In 1858, when there were over 100,000 diggers in Victoria, few could have been doing really well ; only the hope of a ''lucky strike'' kept many of them on the diggings. After 1858, the diggers began to leave the field; by 1865 there were probably only about 27,000 independent diggers in Victoria. Markings: 81 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.

Inscriptions & markings

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