Find information about gold miners, mining companies and daily life in historic Victorian goldfields.
Goldmining has played a significant role in the history and economic development of Victoria, and many researchers find that they have an interest in the goldfields. This guide points to useful resources for people researching:
Our guide references major printed and online sources.
Detail from Digging life twenty-five years ago, A/S20/12/79/156-157
To start your research you can search our catalogue to find books on the history of gold in Victoria, like Gold! Off to the diggings: a pictorial history of the Australian gold rush, as well as more specialized books like Family history research in the central goldfields of Victoria and Digging for gold: a guide to researching family & local history in Victoria's central goldfields. The Australian Mining History Association has produced an online bibliography that lists books about the Victorian goldfields.
The Library's catalogue also lists key online sources like eGold: the electronic encyclopedia of gold in Australia website.
Historic newspapers are another important source of information, and many are available to search online.
Visit each section of this guide to find many more research tips and resources.
Chinamen at work on the goldfields IAN25/08/63/5
Sketch of the Ballaarat Gold Field H26055
