What is the Albert Goldfield?
Q: What is the Albert Goldfield?
A: The Albert Goldfield is an area of 1300 square kilometres where gold was discovered in the outback of New South Wales in 1880.
Q: Where was gold found in the Albert Goldfield?
A: Gold was found at Mount Browne, which is 53 km southwest of Tibooburra. There were also other finds at Good Friday, Easter Monday, Nuggerty, Pioneer Reef, and Warratta Creek.
Q: Why were towns established in the area?
A: Towns were established in the area because of the shortage of water. The towns of Milparinka and Tibooburra were established where water was available.
Q: Why did towns at Albert and Mount Browne not last long?
A: Towns at Albert and Mount Browne did not last long because of the lack of water.
Q: How did the miners extract gold from the dirt?
A: The miners had to either take their dirt to one of the towns to use water to pan for the gold, or use a method called dry blowing. Dry blowing means breaking the dirt into fine particles and letting the wind blow away the dirt leaving the heavier gold behind.
Q: What were the living conditions like on the goldfields?
A: Life on the goldfields was hard, water was scarce, fresh fruit and vegetables were not available, and basics like flour were very expensive. Disease, including dysentery and typhoid were common.
Q: When did the gold rush in the Albert Goldfield end?
A: By 1893 the gold rush had ended and most people had left the goldfields.
