Accessionnot specifiedIdentifierUMA-IT-000018470Extentnot specifiedScope and ContentThe news of the discovery of gold in this area brought men of different European nations, plus the Chinese, to the field. These prints deal with the Chinese who formed a "camp' within the borough, They built houses of a temporary nature, Some of their number traded Chinese foods, tea, nuts biscuits, ginger, etc.. They sold most of the crackers used by Maryborough's 'young fry". They conducted gambling games, and daily they had a lottery. Agents for this would visit the business houses and workshops for clients, At the camp there was an elaborate joss house, and for those who became Christians a church complete with bell. The Chinese minister was under the control of the Church of England and the preacher was Mr. Lee Wah. The Chinese band played at evenings and the chief instrument was the gong. Most of the Chinese ware quiet and law-abiding, but some of the dwellings became houses of ill-fame. Girls, many from the City and of a certain type, lived on the camp, and many married the Chinese. Print No.15 is of one widely known as 'Fat Mag' (Mrs. Maggie Wy Fook). She was said to weigh 30 stone. She was buried at Chewton by Messrs Hubble Brothers who were not able to get her casket into their hearse. Brawls were frequent at the camp and police had regular duty to maintain order. The camp was gradually eliminated, chiefly by fires, One of the ceremonies was the feeding of the dead at the cemetery. Cooked food, money and candles were placed at the graves of the departed. Today the cooking furnace sill tends in the Chinese portion of the cemetery.No.40 shows the Chinese arriving by coach. Note the gold pans and gear. Locals are able to point out the shallow working of the Chinese who, unlike the other miners, dug circular holes.Access StatusOpen for public accessRequest TypeRequest unitUnitOSBA Unit 0018
Kuffer, C L., Chinese Camp (Undated), [UMA-IT-000018470]. University of Melbourne Archives, accessed 13/04/2026, https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/482343
