Land, Labour, and Gold
Two Years in Victoria: with Visits to Sydney and Van Diemen's Land

This 1855 publication describes Howitt's colourful experiences in Melbourne and the goldfields during the 1850s Australian gold rush.

William Howitt (Author)

9781108025706, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 February 2011

436 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.5 cm, 0.55 kg

In 1852 William Howitt (1792–1879) set sail for Australia with two of his sons in order to try his luck in the goldfields of Victoria. By then he was already a prolifically published author of both prose and verse. He was only moderately successful as a gold-digger, but his account of life in the new colony, published in 1855 after his return to England, provides an extraordinary snapshot of the rapid early growth of Melbourne. Volume 1 covers Howitt's first impressions of Australia, his experiences on the journey to the diggings at Bendigo, the throngs of prospectors, the exorbitant prices charged by profiteering merchants, and the miners' protest over high government licence fees. He describes the hard life endured by the diggers and warns against women coming to the colony.

Preface
1. Signs of approach to land
2. First sample of scenery
3. Scenes in Melbourne - rage for gain in tradesmen
4. Still Melbourne, and glimpses of its neighbourhood - projecting our journey
5. On the way
6. Break down
7. Scene on passing Sandy Creek
8. Author attacked by dysentery
9. Rise of charges as we proceed
10. Ovens diggings
11. Diggers' propensities - firing guns and felling trees
12. Stealing away
13. Digging up the creek
14. Fresh throngs on the diggings
15. Leave the Yackandanda
16. Immense growth of Melbourne
17. On the road again
18. Struggling up the road again
19. Aspect of diggings and diggers
20. On the way to Bendigo
21. Bendigo diggings
22. Digger insurrection.

Subject Areas: Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]