Abstract
Tom Hungerford was inspired by the Otago gold rush of 1861, but is practically unknown as it was published only as a serial in the Tuapeka Times. The author, William Baldwin, a larger-than-life figure who was a runholder, goldfields warden, politician and entrepreneur, wrote the novel as a record of his own adventures. His hero, Tom Hungerford, is the model of the great Victorian hero, staunch, loving and determined to right the wrongs done to his family.