Woman on the Goldfields, A: Recollections of Emily Skinner, 1854-1878

Emily Skinner – vibrant, observant, eternally young-at-heart – emigrated from Britain to Australia in 1854. Not only did she keep a ship-board journal – the story of her trip from the old world to the new – she later recorded her reminiscences of a colourful life as a miner’s wife. Here, published for the first time, is Emily’s account of a voyage half-way around the world to marry her sweetheart. She evokes the wild storms, sea sickness, the malaise and boredom, the gossip and intrigue. Her impressions of the young town of Melbourne follow, as well as her recollections of what is now the town of Beechworth and the surrounding goldfields of the Ovens and Buckland valleys. Her simple joy at the strangeness and novelty of the young colony is evident as she brings to life the raw energy of the ‘rough and ready’ goldmining settlements where the population lived under canvas amidst the deep shafts and coveted claims.