Life on the Goldfields by Thomas And Olivia

Life on the GoldfieldsOlivia and Thomas year 5

What houses did they live in?

People who lived on the goldfields lived in tents and wood built houses. Some people who were poor slept on the ground.

The houses made of wood had to be strongly built so that they could handle strong winds.

Th e d if f e r e n t

w o r k d o n e b y

f a m ilie sMost of the people on the goldfields were men, but many were bachelors. There were women who went to the goldfields with their husbands and friends.

Many children went with their parents and by December 1852 there was almost 12 000 children. Children were expected to work as hard as adults.

D r e s sThe ladies on the goldfields wore long dresses that dragged on the ground. They were long and thick. men usually wore a long sleeve shirt and baggy pants. Girls dressed in similar style to women. Boys dressed almost exactly the same clothes as girls.

Tr a n s p o r tThere were many ways to get to the goldfields. Some went on foot. They were called ̀ footsloggers’, most didn’t reach their destination. Some went by carriages, mostly in groups so that it was unlikely that bushrangers would attack. People from other countries came by ship. Some sailors jumped ship to the goldfields. Sometimes trains were used to take people.

F o o d An d

Wa t e rMiners usually brought food with them otherwise there were shops at the goldfields. Some of the food was tea (last for a month), flour (miners love) and mutton (last for 8 days and go off in the sun). Water was always scarce. Sometimes grog was sold illegally.

Le is u r eA c t iv it iesAlthough children worked hard, they still had time for games and toys. The goldfields had lots of space for fun and games. One of the most popular games for boys was marbles . Children played with many toys and people even created a goldfields board game.

E d u c a t ionBy the time children were 5 or 6, their parents wanted them go to school. Where goldfields were well established, there were several different types of schools. Sunday schools, Private schools, Denominational schools and National schools.

R e f e r e nc e sInformation came from the book `Growing up on the Goldfields’.Pictures came from google. It gave us lots of informashin