About this ebook
The fever that forever changed Australia.
David Hill relates the extraordinary people and staggering events of Australia's great gold-rush years.
From the mid- to late-1800s, people from all corners of the globe and all walks of life, including two future prime ministers of Great Britain and Australia, threw off their previous pursuits and made the often perilous journey to the goldfields, from where they would return either fabulously wealthy or demoralised and broken - if they returned at all.
From the destitute to the eminent, the prospectors included such characters as Edward Hargraves, who won the race to find the first payable gold in New South Wales, Lola Montez, whose sensual 'Spider Dance' caused outrage and delight in equal measure, Lord Percy Douglas, the elder brother of Oscar Wilde's famed lover Bosie, who returned from Western Australia empty-handed, and Herbert Hoover, who managed the Sons of Gwalia mine in Western Australia at the age of 22.
David Hill brings this monumental turning point in Australia's history brilliantly to life, using the diaries, journals, books, letters, official reports, parliamentary inquiries and newspaper articles of the time, along with his own skills as a master storyteller.
David Hill relates the extraordinary people and staggering events of Australia's great gold-rush years.
From the mid- to late-1800s, people from all corners of the globe and all walks of life, including two future prime ministers of Great Britain and Australia, threw off their previous pursuits and made the often perilous journey to the goldfields, from where they would return either fabulously wealthy or demoralised and broken - if they returned at all.
From the destitute to the eminent, the prospectors included such characters as Edward Hargraves, who won the race to find the first payable gold in New South Wales, Lola Montez, whose sensual 'Spider Dance' caused outrage and delight in equal measure, Lord Percy Douglas, the elder brother of Oscar Wilde's famed lover Bosie, who returned from Western Australia empty-handed, and Herbert Hoover, who managed the Sons of Gwalia mine in Western Australia at the age of 22.
David Hill brings this monumental turning point in Australia's history brilliantly to life, using the diaries, journals, books, letters, official reports, parliamentary inquiries and newspaper articles of the time, along with his own skills as a master storyteller.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
5 reviews
Alan Creswick
- Flag inappropriate
October 2, 2017
Generally a well written overview of the goldfields of Australia.
A Google user
- Flag inappropriate
May 21, 2017
Good book
About the author
During his remarkable career, David Hill has been chairman then managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; chairman of the Australian Football Association; chief executive of the State Rail Authority; chairman of Sydney Water Corporation; and chairman of CREATE (an organisation representing Australian children in institutional care).
He has also held a number of other executive appointments in the areas of sport, transport, broadcasting, fiscal management and city parks.
In 2006 he was awarded a Diploma of Arts with merit in classical archaeology from Sydney University. He is an honorary associate at the Sydney University departments of archaeology, classics and ancient history, and a visiting fellow at the University of New South Wales.
Since 2011 he has been the manager of an archaeological study of the ancient Greek city of Troizen. He has for many years been a leading figure in the international campaign to have the Parthenon sculptures returned from the British Museum to Greece.
He has also held a number of other executive appointments in the areas of sport, transport, broadcasting, fiscal management and city parks.
In 2006 he was awarded a Diploma of Arts with merit in classical archaeology from Sydney University. He is an honorary associate at the Sydney University departments of archaeology, classics and ancient history, and a visiting fellow at the University of New South Wales.
Since 2011 he has been the manager of an archaeological study of the ancient Greek city of Troizen. He has for many years been a leading figure in the international campaign to have the Parthenon sculptures returned from the British Museum to Greece.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.