Overview
The discovery of gold from 1851 swelled the population and brought practicality and variety to dress.
Key garments and style
On the diggings, miners wore sturdy moleskin or corduroy trousers, a flannel shirt and heavy boots, with the cabbage-tree hat woven of palm leaf against the sun. In the towns, those enriched by gold wore fashionable Victorian dress, and the dress of the wandering swagman also became a feature of the age.
Transition
In the Federation era, a distinctly Australian style began to take form out of this practical dress.