CATAG
Chinese at the Australian goldfields
Gold
Gold is found in rocks and in the ground. People came to look for gold in Australia. It was called the Gold Rush. It was a very hard life digging for the gold. Some people became rich but lots of them did not.
Gold is a soft, yellow and precious metal. It can be pressed without breaking or cracking. It has been valued for centuries, long before recorded history. Gold is found as nuggets or grains in rocks, or washed down in river beds.
Thousands of people left their homes and jobs and set off to the Australian diggings to find their fortune. At the start of the gold rush, there were no roads to the goldfields, and no shops or houses there. People had to carry everything they needed. They had to travel by horse or donkey, or by walking with a wheelbarrow loaded with their possessions.