Children's game, consisting of a handcoloured, lithographed sheet mounted on linen. The game begins at no. 1 aboard a steamship bound for Australia, and ends at no. 25 in a goldfields tent town with diggers returning home with gold nuggets. No rule sheet or instructions are held by the State Library of South Australia.

In 1851, Edward Hargreaves discovered gold near Bathurst in New South Wales - the beginning of the Australian gold rushes.  Within six months, gold had been found in Victoria at Ballarat, and then at Bendigo Creek.

Thousands of diggers rushed to each new area as a gold find was announced. At first the diggers came from the colonies, including South Australia, but soon immigrants arrived from Britain, Europe, America and China, intent on making their fortunes. In 1852 an estimated 370,000 migrants arrived in Australia, and the economy boomed.

Hocking, Geoff Gold: a pictorial history of the Australian gold rush Rowville, Vic: Five Mile Press, 2006

Stone, Derrick I. and Sue MacKinnon Life on the Australian goldfields Carlton, Vic.; [Sydney]: Methuen of Australia, [1976]

The Australian gold rush: stories from Australia's culture and recreation portal

Gold! (Victorian Cultural Collaboration)

Gold, gold, gold (Children's Literature Research Collection, State Library of South Australia)