- Occupation
- Digger
Mark T. Amos arrived in Melbourne on 30 June 1852 having departed Gravesend on 4 March of the same year. After making the arduous trip to Sawpit Gully (Elphinstone) he began prospecting at Forest Creek. Throughout his life Amos identified with the Castlemaine district and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the mining history of the region: in 1857 he won an essay competition on the best way of working a Guildford mine. A successful digger, he fondly remembered his years spent at the Fryers Creek diggings where ‘he never got less than 4oz. a week, although we had many holidays and worked short days. We used to look upon our claim as a bank – and draw upon it whenever we so desired.’ He subsequently became an early member of the Castlemaine Pioneers and Old Residents Association.
