author
J. C. F. (Joseph Colin Francis) Johnson
1848–1904
A lively 19th-century Australian journalist, politician, and mining writer, he moved easily between public life and practical instruction. He is best remembered by modern readers for books on gold mining that drew on real experience and a sharp, readable style.
2 Audiobooks
Getting Gold: A Gold-Mining Handbook for Practical Men
by J. C. F. (Joseph Colin Francis) Johnson
Getting Gold: A Practical Treatise for Prospectors, Miners and Students
by J. C. F. (Joseph Colin Francis) Johnson
About the author
Born in Adelaide on 12 February 1848, Joseph Colin Francis Johnson was widely known as J. C. F. Johnson or Frank Johnson. He grew up in Victoria, was educated at Geelong National Grammar School, and worked in pastoral and mining pursuits before turning to journalism. That mix of newsroom skill and firsthand knowledge would shape both his public career and his writing.
Johnson returned to South Australia and joined the Adelaide Register, where he worked as a drama critic and journalist. He later entered politics, serving in the South Australian parliament and becoming Minister of Education from 1887 to 1889. Alongside journalism and politics, he was also active as an illustrator and cartoonist.
As an author, he is especially associated with practical writing on mining and prospecting. His best-known work, Getting Gold, helped explain goldfields methods to prospectors, miners, and students, and it still stands out as a vivid window into late 19th-century Australian mining life. He died on 18 June 1904.