What did the aboriginals eat during gold rushes?

Answer 1

People on the Australian goldfields most commonly ate damper, a simple bread made of flour, salt and water and cooked over an open campfire. They ate mutton with potatoes and onions, perhaps some cabbage and carrots if they were lucky, mutton or rabbit stew, or salted beef. There was, of course, no refrigation, so salted meat was important. Occasionally they might kill a kangaroo or wallaby, but it was not the favoured food. The men might be lucky enough to kill ducks and other waterfowl. Some people kept their own chooks (chickens). There was usually a butcher in the nearest goldfields town who would kill a cow, sheep or pig for fresh meat that was then available for purchase.

Other fruits and vegetables were rare on the goldfields, except for those who were prepared to deal with Chinese, who cultivated market gardens. Food was either brought in with the diggers or bought in one of the "trading posts" that grew up around where the fields were. Food was often very expensive as the local supplier had a monopoly on the market.

People on the goldfields enjoyed billy tea as well, which was tea boiled in a billy over an open fire.

Answer 2

People on the Australian goldfields most commonly ate damper, a simple bread made of flour, salt and water and cooked over an open campfire. They ate mutton with potatoes and onions, perhaps some cabbage and carrots if they were lucky, mutton or rabbit stew, or salted beef jerky. Occasionally they might kill a kangaroo or wallaby, but it was not the favoured food, although "roo tail stew" did become reasonably popular. Other fruits and vegetables were rare on the goldfields. They enjoyed billy tea as well.

Miners and their families often bought their food in one of the "trading posts" that grew up around where the fields were. Food was often very expensive as the local supplier had a monopoly on the market. This meant that he could charge whatever he liked, knowing that the miners would not leave their claims in order to travel to the cities for supplies at cheaper prices.

Answer 3

People on the Australian goldfields most commonly ate damper, a simple bread made of flour, salt and water and cooked over an open campfire. They ate mutton with potatoes and onions, perhaps some cabbage and carrots if they were lucky, mutton or rabbit stew, or salted beef jerky. Occasionally they might kill a kangaroo or wallaby, but it was not the favoured food.

Other fruits and vegetables were rare on the goldfields, except for those who were prepared to deal with Chinese, who cultivated market gardens. Food was either brought in with the diggers or bought in one of the "trading posts" that grew up around where the fields were. Food was often very expensive as the local supplier had a monopoly on the market.

People on the goldfields enjoyed billy tea as well, which was tea boiled in a billy over an open fire.

Answer 4

During the Australian goldrushes, Aborigines still lived a traditional lifestyle, hunting and gathering as they had done for thousands of years. However, the Aborigines would sometimes work for some of the miners' food, particularly tea and damper, especially as they were sometimes driven away from their traditional hunting grounds.

Answer 5

People on the Australian goldfields most commonly ate damper, a simple bread made of flour, salt and water and cooked over an open campfire. They ate mutton with potatoes and onions, perhaps some cabbage and carrots if they were lucky, mutton or rabbit stew, or salted beef. There was, of course, no refrigation, so salted meat was important. Occasionally they might kill a kangaroo or wallaby, but it was not the favoured food. The men might be lucky enough to kill ducks and other waterfowl. Some people kept their own chooks (chickens). There was usually a butcher in the nearest goldfields town who would kill a cow, sheep or pig for fresh meat that was then available for purchase.

Other fruits and vegetables were rare on the goldfields, except for those who were prepared to deal with Chinese, who cultivated market gardens. Food was either brought in with the diggers or bought in one of the "trading posts" that grew up around where the fields were. Food was often very expensive as the local supplier had a monopoly on the market.

People on the goldfields enjoyed billy tea as well, which was tea boiled in a billy over an open fire.