LIFE ON THE GOLDFIELDS
Travel
Routes leading to the goldfields from the ports.
'Almost every one of us brought too much on our back and at every stage we lightened ourselves. At one camping place three pairs of trousers were thrown away, one of which were mine, and at our last camp in the valley, innumerable articles were left. Our company left our table cloths or oil clothes, two axes, 1 counterpane, prospecting pan, camp kettles, pannikin etc. Some left everything they had, determining never to camp out again: flannel drawers, shirts, blankets, kettles, rugs etc. were all scattered about.' 1
Traveling to the goldfields was very tough work. As the goldfields were all inland from ports, it was a long and hard trek along the hills and rugged dirt paths. The roads were all in very poor condition and they had been carved out from the land due to the rush of people and carts.
Most of the diggers travelled on foot with their belongings on back. Wealthier people travelled on horses as they were very expensive and most of the tracks were in too poor a condition for the tracks. Bullocks (a young bull) were also used to pull their wagons.
On many of the routes they travelled on, bushrangers blocked their paths as they robbed them of their possessions.
The greatest number of immigrants coming in search for gold came from Britain and Ireland, but their was also a significant amount from China, Europe and others from New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Americas. For many, the journey took around seven to eight months in boats of a very poor condition. By the time most arrived, they had little energy and were too sick to travel to the fields. Some died not even reaching their destinations.
1Thomas Arnot diaries, 7 August 1852, MS 8464, Australian Manuscripts Collection, State Library of Victoria.