German migrant, Hermann Koeppen was born in Hamburg in 1825 and migrated to Adelaide in 1851.  His collection of letters to his fiancee Johanna, whom he later married, reveal a great deal about life on the Victorian goldfields. After meeting Johannna, Koeppen realized that he would need to be able to provide for her before he could propose marriage. He also had to support his mother who was still in Germany. So like many other men in South Australia at the time, he travelled east to the goldfields.  He had very little luck. In his letter of 19 December 1852, he wrote that he had dug up 14 1/2  (14.5) ounces.  This was his best week's yield. It was enough to pay his expenses to that point and cover provision for a few more weeks. 

See attached transcripts of the letters, including an explanation of the content, written by translator, Rosemary Radden (2006).

Image: Gold fields of Australia [game] SLSA Children's Literature Research Collection.