It is the early 1850's in Australia - the period of Australian History known as the Gold Rush. You live in Old Sydney Town and like many others, you and your brother are rather poor and are tempted to head to the goldfields to make your pile.

There are several Gold Fields to choose from and much organizing to do before you find any gold.

TASK: Which goldfield will you choose and why? There is more than one goldfield to choose from. Which one will you choose to try your luck at? Remember, you have little money and no experience. Points to Consider Which type of gold mining best suits you? Which gold mining area offers the best chances of "striking it rich"? What are the costs involved in mining gold? Decisions you will Need to Make Distance to the Gold Field... how will you get there? What equipment will I need? Will I buy my equipment before or after reaching the Gold Field What dangers might I face? Assessment Your teacher will apply a scale of marking for your decision making and equipment list. 10 points for each good decision 2 points for each essential item of equipment. As about only 1 in 20 used to make a reasonable to good living from the Gold Fields, the top two point scorers could be considered to be the most successful.

Presentation

Your presentation should be in the form of a report. (About half a page of writing should be sufficient.)
This report should be published on a computer program such as ClarisWorks/AppleWorks/Microsoft Works etc.
You should clearly state:

• the decisions you made and why (ie which goldfield? why that particular one?)
• list the equipment you used.

From this report your teacher will make an assessment using the point score.

Source Material

Books - look in the 994 section of your school and/or town library
CD Rom Encyclopedias
WWW.
Try the links below on the Internet