Alert

State Library Victoria is open ANZAC Day, Thursday 25 April, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Home > Get involved > Ballarat goldfields diary

Ballarat goldfields diary

The extraordinary Ballarat goldfields diary was written in 1855 by a Scottish gold-digger, charting six eventful months in the miner's life.

Fascinating in its detail, the diary brings Victoria's historic gold-rush period to life, including descriptions of a fire that killed 11 people, the arrival of new prostitutes in town and the escape of a Bengal tiger in Ballarat's Main Street.

'the diary brings Victoria's historic gold-rush period to life'