Nothing But Gold : the Diggers of 1852

by Robyn Annear

Gold was discovered in Australia in 1851, and within a year the infant colony was transformed from a sump for convicts to a Land of Opportunity. Robyn Annear's lively history describes in detail life on the the mud of winter and dust of summer, the pluckiness of the women and children, the grog shanties, the flies, the mania of mining, the despair and the delirium, and the much hated licensing system which was to culminate in the Eureka Stockade. 'Robyn Annear tells the story of the 1852 gold rushes in imaginative detail ... she tells us how it felt to be there. You find yourself worrying about the problems long ago resolved, sharply aware of the gold diggers' hopes and ordeals, diverted by the high comedy of a chaotic life. Like all good narratives, it looks easy because it is so easily read and enjoyed ... She makes a mosaic out of small moments of experience ... The physical realities of the diggings are evoked, with all the ingenious ways of managing tent space, cooking, guarding gold, finding feed for horses, keeping off wind and rain, ants and mice.' Brenda NiallRobyn Annear was born in Melbourne in 1960. She spends her time writing and researching, typing for other people and looking after her family. She is also a part-time bookseller and President of the Friends of the Castlemaine Library.'History from the inside; wonderfully entertaining.' Age'A welcome addition to Australian history, pointing to badly needed ways in which history can be made more reader-friendly.' Quadrant

Genres: History, Australia

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrific. A must-read for any Australian teacher of history. My review at anzlitlovers.com is scheduled for 28.3.12. If I forget to come back here and provide the link, find it by locating ANNEAR, Robyn under Who To Find Here in the categories menu on the RHS.

[Dennis Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book. This is such a valuable historic resource of the conditions on the Victorian goldfields, all set in the one year 1852 - the peak year of gold-fever madness. Robyn Annear's depth of research is admirable and she has organised the material in an absorbing and entertaining manner.
I am assembling my family history. My great great grandfather James came out from Bath, England, in 1852 and went straight to the Castlemaine, or then Mt Alexander diggings. Thanks to this book I can now visualise in detail what he was up against, his living conditions and the politics of the day controlling his existence. Anyone researching this piece of Australian history must read this book. A valuable bibliography is supplied as well.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing but Gold: The Diggers of 1852 by Robyn Annear, 1999

Robyn Annear writes meticulously researched, readable history. This book takes one year in the lives of those who were involved in the Victorian gold rush and explores it from every conceivable angle. I’ve been reading this since the beginning of the year. Whilst it is easily readable it is still a non-fiction account that, for me, requires occasional dipping into rather than continuous reading. If you want to understand what life was really like on the goldfields beyond the usual superficial caricature or the Eureka Stockade, this is well work reading. Likewise if your motive for reading is for genuine academic research Nothing But Gold will not disappoint. If you’re after historical fiction with one continuous story and characters it’s probably not the book for you.

[Rhiannon Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable history.

[Athol-mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Robyn Annear's writing. It is as if you are on the goldfields. The research is so thorough.