Most diggers did not take much equipment. They may have taken basic picks and pans, and would have just carried them, either on horsebank or Shanks's pony (walking). Some diggers did not carry their equipment to the goldfields. They waited until they arrived, and then paid exorbitant prices at the goldfields for the items they needed.
The name "Diggers" originated from a group of individuals known as the "True Levellers" who were part of the English Civil War movement in the 17th century. They believed in the redistribution of land to create a more equal society and were called "Diggers" because they dug and farmed on common land.
Women on the goldfields typically disposed of waste by burying it in pits or throwing it into nearby creeks or rivers. They did not have access to modern waste disposal facilities, so they had to find ways to manage their waste in the absence of formal infrastructure.
The Diggers were a radical group that emerged in England during the mid-17th century. They were founded in 1649 by Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard. The group aimed to create a society of equals by cultivating and sharing common land.
The saying "colder than a well digger's ass" likely originated in the United States as a humorous way to describe extremely cold temperatures. Well diggers used to work outside in all weather conditions, and their work involved being in contact with cold water, so the saying emphasizes a particularly harsh level of cold.
The Eureka Stockade was the 1854 miners' uprising on the goldfields of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Conditions on the Australian goldfields were harsh. Most diggers worked from dawn to dusk, six days a week. Sometimes they were lucky and had a good strike. Often they found very little at all. The main source of discontent was the miner's licence, which cost a monthly fee of 30 shillings and permitted the holder to work a 3.6 metre square "claim". Licences had to be paid regardless of whether a digger's claim resulted in the finding of any gold. Troopers (goldfields police) consucted frequent licence hunts, during which the miners were ordered to produce proof of their licences, and this added to the discontent and increasing unrest. Previous delegations for miners' rights had met with a complete lack of action from the Victorian government, so on 29 November 1854, the miners burned their licences in a united, mass resistance against the laws over the miners. Following a widespread licence hunt on November 30, Irish immigrant Peter Lalor was elected to lead the rebellion, which culminated in the huge battle, now known as the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, on December 3. Despite its apparent failure, the Eureka Stockade gained the attention of the Government. A Commission of Enquiry followed and changes were made. These included abolishing the monthly gold licences, which were replaced by a much more affordable annual miner's licence. There were fewer troopers on the goldfields, and intrusive spot-checks ceased. Legislative Council was expanded to allow representation to the major goldfields. Peter Lalor and another representative, John Basson Humffray, were elected for Ballarat. Later, Lalor was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria. For these reasons, the Eureka Stockade is regarded by many as the birthplace of Australian Democracy, and hence an important part of Australia's history.
There were around 20,000 diggers in the ballarat goldfields in 1852
At the Goldfields the diggers slept in tents.
Gold
In order to get to the Victorian goldfields, the diggers could walk, or travel by horseback, or bring a horse and sulky or dray.
Diggers originally referred to the men who dug for gold on the Australian goldfields. Later it came to mean the Australians who fought in the wars, because they still had to dig trenches.
They moved in on mining areas which the local diggers thought should be theirs alone.
The Bathurst goldfields continued successfully for many years, in increasingly outlying areas (e.g. Hill End, Sofala), but there were fewer diggers there because of the lure of the rich Bendigo and Ballarat goldfields in the south. The goldfields in Bathurst were still going strong in the mid 1870s.
Food that the diggers did not shoot for themselves (such as rabbits and kangaroos) came from the bigger cities. This is why it was so expensive. The small shop owners on the goldfields were in a position to buy in bulk and then charge extreme prices for their goods.
pick axes and shovels
In essence, the Eureka Stockade was a rebellion which led to a revolution in how the diggers were represented in government.The Eureka Stockade was not a riot because there is no evidence that the diggers who fortified themselve in the stockade were unruly.In more ways, it was a revolution, because it caused the government to take notice of the conditions on the goldfields, and it led to the birth of democratic representation in Australia.
Many of the items on the goldfields were the equipment and tools used for digging and carrying gold-bearing soil. They included basic equipment for survival, for constructing some sort of shelter, or simple protection. These included:shovelpickropecanvas (for a tent)beddingcopper (for cooking)sawaxepickwheelbarrowknifegunpanscradlessieveswindlasseslong toms
No, not at all. The Eureka Stockade was a battle between the soldiers and the Australian gold miners (diggers). It occurred on the goldfields outside Ballarat in December 1854.