The gold rushes of the nineteenth century and the lives of those who worked the goldfields - known as 'diggers' - are etched into our national folklore.
There is no doubt that the gold rushes had a huge effect on the Australian economy and our development as a nation. It is also true to say that those heady times had a profound impact on the national psyche.
The camaraderie and 'mateship' that developed between diggers on the goldfields is still integral to how we - and others - perceive ourselves as Australians. The diggers' defiance and open disdain of authority during this time is still a dominant theme in any discussion of our history and national identity.
Indeed, mateship and defiance of authority have been central to the way our history has been told. Look at Australia's World War I 'diggers' (named after their goldfield predecessors) at Gallipoli and how they have been portrayed: mates in the trenches with a healthy disrespect for their 'English superiors'.
Even today, nothing evokes more widespread national pride than groups of irreverent Aussie 'blokes' beating the English at cricket, or any other sport for that matter!
It is this early flowering of a national identity that makes any study of the gold rush days so intriguing. It is also true to say that the idealisation of goldfield life excludes or overlooks the squalor, greed, crime, self-interest and racism that were part and parcel of the times.
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