Diggings
Encyclopedia
The Diggings was a colloquial term used to describe the gold rush
locations in Australia
during the 1850s. Gold miners - the digger
s - would describe their journey "to the diggings" and say they were "at (or on) the diggings". Because of the speed at which a "rush" to a particular location might occur, or at which it might be abandoned at news of another rush, the term diggings tended to apply to general areas.
In Victoria, some of the major diggings were Ballarat
, Bendigo
(Sandhurst), Mount Alexander or Forest Creek
, Ovens Valley and Omeo.
As surface gold diminished and mining companies replaced individual diggers, the term "diggings" dropped out of use.
The miners used a shovel, a pan, a cradle and some other tools to dig for gold.
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
locations in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
during the 1850s. Gold miners - the digger
Digger
Digger and Diggers may refer to:*Digger , a punk band*Digger , a Beanie Baby crab produced by Ty, Inc.*Digger , a comic book character owned by Marvel Comics*Digger , a classic computer game from 1983...
s - would describe their journey "to the diggings" and say they were "at (or on) the diggings". Because of the speed at which a "rush" to a particular location might occur, or at which it might be abandoned at news of another rush, the term diggings tended to apply to general areas.
In Victoria, some of the major diggings were Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
, Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
(Sandhurst), Mount Alexander or Forest Creek
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
, Ovens Valley and Omeo.
As surface gold diminished and mining companies replaced individual diggers, the term "diggings" dropped out of use.
The miners used a shovel, a pan, a cradle and some other tools to dig for gold.