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=__//**Name:**//__ //Marilyn Johnston//= =__//**Origin:**//__ //Adelaide//= =__//**Age:**//__ //Twenty-Three//= =__//**Occupation:**//__//Gold Panner in the Alluvial Mine//= =__//**Tools:**//__ //A pan for gold panning in the stream//= =__//**Family:**//__ //Little sister, older brother, mother and father. Little sister and mother do housework// //and older brother and father gold mine in the Shafts.//= =**__//Success://__ //Is yet to be discovered!//**=

//Wednesday 3rd of August 1851// //Word spreads fast about gold and my family and I were lucky enough to hear about it, (with all the bad reception we have out here, although I don't think we've got much reception here anyways). So when we heard about it, (my older brother, my father and I) we wasted no time in packing our things and planing our trip to the goldfields. My dad, older brother and I were really excited. We spent heaps of money on a horse. We had the cart we just needed the horse. It should take us thre weeks tops to reach the Ballarat Goldfields. This could just be my chance, I mean, our chance to find the fortune that we've been seeking. I can't wait!//

//Wednesday 10th of August 1851// //We've just arived at the Ballarat Goldfields. I hope that we will find our fortune here, someday. We've dismounted our horse and cart and aproached a small shop or something, (because apearently around here, to mine, you need something called a "license"). We had to pay 24s shillings to get three licenses. Now we have to find a place to stay. We've approached a small hotel. Although I forgot the name... Anyways, we got ourselves a small room. God knows how much we payed for this place.//

//Wednesday 17th of August 1851// //Rays of sunlight hit my face this morning. It felt warm and conforting. Son after that I remembered that today was my first day of mining. Because I'm a female I have to use the Alluvilal Mine. The Alluvial Mine is basically just panning for gold in the stream. It's a good thing that I'm wearing pants instead of a dress because that piece of clothing wouldn't last for so many hours on end. It would probably end up damaged.//

//Wednesday 31st of August 1851// //There are so many differences from here to back home in Adelaide. Firstly, I'm in a different state. Secondly, back home in Adelaide it was fairly quiet and here in Balarat, it's pretty loud with all the pickaxes. I'm missing my home, my mother and my younger sister. I've got my father and my older brother here with me, but it's just the warm motherly embrace that I'm missing the most. Working in the Alluvial Mine is a bit hard. On sunny days when the sun is at its highest peak in the sky it'll hit you on the back of your head and it'll feel like it's burning your skull and there's a possible chance that you could get heatstroke. It would be an absolute miracle if I ever find gold here.//

Wednesday 7th of September 1851 Just this morning my father found a small gold nugget worth about ten shillings. He is really lucky. I wonder when it will be my turn to find gold, but I wouldn't consider myself as a lucky person. It will probably be my older brother who is next to discover gold out of the three of us.

Wednesday 14th of September 1851 My luck still hasn't changed since the last time I wrote in my diary. It seems that I am the only one left out of my father and older brother who has not yet found gold.

Wednesday 21st of September 1851 I am starting to feel unsuccessful. It has been weeks since I last had enough hope in myself to believe that the day would come for me to actually be successful and find myself some gold. I know that I may be sounding greedy, but it's just eatting at me!

Wednesday 28th of September 1851 Finally! I have now prooved myself successful. I have found a twenty ounce gold nugget. Although what I am going to do with my shillings still lies a mystery. I am going to need some rest now to work towards tomorrow.

Wednesday 5th of October 1851 It's been a week now since I've discovered gold. I got 20 shillings in return for the gold nugget. Although, I'm still not so sure how I'm planning to spend it. Maybe I'll send some back home, they're probably going through a really tough time right now in Adelaide. Then again, father has probably already done that. I'm not so sure...

Wednesday 12th of October 1851 My father has developed some kind of flu. He's not looking or sounding too good. It's probably just the common cold but I'm not so sure. Father won't tell me what's going on. All he says to me is, "It's nothing Marilyn I'll be fine." I don't believe him though. He's looking worse everyday, like he's becoming more pale. I don't know when he'll get better. The flu could last weeks.

Wednesday 19th of October 1851 Father's getting worse. He hasn't been mining for two weeks now. He has been lying in bed doing nothing. By nothing, I mean just sleeping. He's been sleeping all night, (as usual) and dozing of from time to time again all day long. It's very rare to have some alone time with me working, him dozing off and my older brother says that we shouldn't be coming near him because he thinks the flu that father has might be contagious. I don't listen to my older brother though.

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