Great book. It reminded me of everything I learned at school, like most Aussies of my generation I suppose, about the Gold Rush, plus a lot more they didnt tell us. Apart from the well-trodden path of Hargreaves, Ballarat and Bendigo, the Eureka Stockade and the anti-Chinese riots, this covers a lot of less well-known material, including gold discoveries in Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, as well as a whole chapter on how gold discovered at Gympie saved Queensland from bankruptcy and the wild and hazardous Palmer River strikes, where hostile natives not only speared diggers, but were reputed to eat them. The book tries to cover a lot of territory in one volume, so always feels a bit rushed, but overall this is an informative and entertaining read that really takes you back to the time when daring, endurance and a bit of luck could set a man up for life with one stroke of a pick. I loved it. ( )