This is an unusual photograph of two miners, a woman and a nugget. It appears to have been taken to celebrate their find however the details as to who the people are and where and when the nugget was found are unknown. Nonetheless, this provides an almost iconic image of the very success that hundreds of thousands of men -- and some women -- sought on the Australian goldfields in the 1850s and 1860s. Once the discoveries of gold by Edmund Hargraves in 1851 outside Bathurst were broadcast, thousands rushed to the diggings, leaving their homes, families and jobs behind in their enthusiasm. All hoped to make their fortune yet few did. These diggers appear to have been in the minority with their enormous find.

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Powerhouse Museum