Women on the goldfields

No place for a lady

For a woman living on the goldfields, life could be very harsh. For many, one of the hardest things to bear was loneliness. If they had been brought to the diggings by their husbands, they were inevitably forced to spend many hours alone while their husbands worked to seek their fortune. This meant that they would frequently spend most of their time alone and have to face a range of dangers including snakes, illness and assault. An 1854 census of the Ballarat goldfields found there were 4023 women compared to 12,660 men living on the diggings and only 5 percent of these women were single.

For many women of childbearing age, the prospect of pregnancy and childbirth was always a concern. At the time there were no medical support systems in place. A woman giving birth had to either depend upon the support of other women, or else go through the process alone. It is not surprising that many women died giving birth on the goldfields. See image 1

The goldfields were not considered an appropriate place for a respectable lady and so women on the goldfields were often the subject of disapproval. Far from being a hindrance to the miners, women soon became an integral part of the goldfields culture, creating an atmosphere of domesticity. They cooked, cleaned and oversaw meagre domestic operations. Some also joined in on the diggings and frequently assisted their husbands in panning for gold.

Working women

Some saw their situation as an opportunity for enterprise. Martha Glendinning was the wife of a successful London doctor. George Glendinning decided to make the trek to Australia in 1852, to seek his fortune on the goldfields of Ballarat. He brought Martha with him, but left her in Melbourne. Not content to be left behind, Martha and her sister made the 95 mile trek to Ballarat alone. They arrived at the goldfields bringing with them an array of useful goods.

At first the women were ridiculed by their husbands when they decided to open up a small store, selling blankets, flour, sugar, jam, bottled fruit, candles and other necessities. Their store soon caught on and within a year or so they were doing a brisk business, catering for the needs of diggers and their families on the goldfields. Their business was also unusual in that it did not resort to selling `sly grog', a common method of income for women on the goldfields. See image 2

Women as entertainers

Another source of income for the talented was entertainment. Many women made a name for themselves as entertainers on the goldfields. They could gain considerable fame and income as singers or dancers. Sometimes these women were part of travelling shows that frequently visited the goldfields to entertain the miners.

A scandalous life

Of all the female entertainers who frequented the goldfields, few achieved the fame, or the notoriety, of Lola Montez (see image 3). Montez was an exotic dancer and burlesque performer who was as famous for her turbulent private life as for her dance routines. Born Maria Dolores Eliza Gilbert in 1818 in Limerick, Ireland, Montez adopted her Spanish persona after being trained in Spanish language and dance. She was already famous in many parts of the world when she landed in Australia in 1855.

Montez was best known for her 'Spider Dance', an exotic routine than involved the removal of several layers of clothing. Montez was so popular with the diggers that she was frequently rewarded with a shower of gold nuggets from the audience. She is also remembered for an infamous incident in which she was soundly criticised by Ballarat Times editor Harry Seekamp, for her lewd dance routines and freewheeling ways. Montez retaliated by storming into the editor's office and then pursuing him down the busy main street, beating him with a horsewhip!