GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

** ALLUVIAL GOLD ** Gold found in riverbeds, streambeds and flood plains. This gold was generally found by miners using gold pans.


 * GOLD PAN ** A metal pan about 30 – 40cm in diameter. Soil from streams would be scooped into the pan and by using a circular motion; dirt is washed over the side, leaving the gold particles in the pan.


 * CRADLE ** A wooden box approximately 1 metre by 2 metres with a metal sieve on its base. Dirt is shovelled into the cradle and the box is rocked to separate the fine dirt, leaving behind stones and gold.


 * MINE SHAFT ** This is a vertical hole dug into the ground for miners to lower themselves into in order to access underground gold.


 * NUGGET ** A piece of solid gold. Nuggets can be as small as 1 gram or as large as 78kg (the Welcome Stranger, found in Victoria in 1896).


 * MULLOCK HEAP ** Dirt and rocks taken out of mines and later searched through for gold.


 * ORE ** Any precious metals found in dirt and rocks.