Most of the Chinese miners in the fields were actually pheasants of rich people or emperors of China. They were sent to Australia to find gold for their masters. The gold rushes in Australia attracted many Chinese to the country, with the Chinese population in Australia reaching around 40,000 in the 1860s. The Chinese wore different clothes from everyone else and had long braids behind their backs. The Chinese people were methodical and developed different tactics to find gold, this led to great fortune for several Chinese prospectors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Europeans in the camps resented the Chinese miners, as their population grew rapidly in the camps. Some Chinese miners have been accused of smuggling gold into China in coffins. On some occasions Europeans even harassed miners and vandalized their camps, hoping they would catch fleas and their population would decline. Even worse, the Europeans would hang the Chinese from trees for their fairy tales. The poor migrants would have to suffer until someone saved them. Most immigrants arrived in Australia by ship and, once they reached the mainland, normally traveled by wagon or on horseback to mining camps or campsites. In 1855, Chinese miners began having to pay a tax of £10 to come to Victoria and NSW by ship. Chinese migrants tried to get around this problem by traveling to South Australia. All the diggers were men and there were only six children. European miners soon dominated the gold fields, setting up the first campsites and simple lodgings. European miners did not necessarily come prepared, as they had to carry all their belongings by hand. Every miner had to wake up early in the morning, under the scorching sun. They did about 1 hour of mining or panning before having breakfast, which left the miners very hungry before breakfast. Most European miners ate cooked mutton chops and stew. Damper is also known as wild bread, made with water and flour, then roasted in front of a fire. Chinese miners mainly ate rice and cultivated vegetables, some Chinese even found some berries safe to eat. All the miners lived in tents or huts and needed wood to build the huts. Some Chinese miners began cutting down trees for shelter, which left Australia with a minor phase of deforestation. Additionally, miners left freshwater lakes muddy and polluted, leaving Aboriginal people, native animals and even some other miners with limited supplies of water. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers .Get a custom essay In conclusion, the life of Chinese miners was not as easy and bright as it might seem. These people lived through difficult times, sometimes suffered racial discrimination and oppression, but they survived and continued to work.