LIFE ON THE GOLDFIELDS
Accommodation and difficulties
Huts and tents surrounding the goldfields.
Most diggers and their families lived on the banks of the goldfields but the wealthier people owned a house inside the town and would travel to and from the goldfields each day. People later lived in huts made from canvas, wood and bark. Hotels and boarding houses begin to establish as the rising population made the goldfields a very crowded place. Diggers would often send the families to the hotels and boarding houses for the week and meet up with them on weekends or every so often.
Many accommodation difficulties arose with the rapid growth of population. In 1851, 80,000 people lived in Victoria and in ten years the population grew to 500,00! This major growth in population caused little places to live close to the goldfields so diggers and their families had to spread further back from the fields, which made it even harder to travel to and from the fields each day. As more gold sites were discovered, the diggers had to move around alot and find new places to set up their tents while carrying their heavy loads.
During the day when the diggers were out at the goldfields, many desperate thieves went through the tents in search of money, food and other supplies.
Many accommodation difficulties arose with the rapid growth of population. In 1851, 80,000 people lived in Victoria and in ten years the population grew to 500,00! This major growth in population caused little places to live close to the goldfields so diggers and their families had to spread further back from the fields, which made it even harder to travel to and from the fields each day. As more gold sites were discovered, the diggers had to move around alot and find new places to set up their tents while carrying their heavy loads.
During the day when the diggers were out at the goldfields, many desperate thieves went through the tents in search of money, food and other supplies.