Housing
Melbourne could not handle the population
boom, so people lived in tents pitched in groups
known as Canvastown on the banks of Yarra
River.
Daily Tasks
Everyday, people would leave their belongings to
test their luck and go digging.
Food
Fresh food and water were hard to acquire, so
people mostly ate mutton stew amd damper.
Chinese diggers would often eat rice, cabbage,
chicken noodle soup, bean sprouts ,and tea.
Kids on the Goldfields
Kids would also be given laborious tasks by their
family members. Whatever needed to be done
that they couldn’t do themselves, they had their
kids do.
Clothing
Clothing was poor and low quality because there
were no stores in the area ad people were forced
to live together with the clothes they brought.
Health & Sickness
Canvastown was very dirty, so disease outbreaks
would occur often.