There are many different ways you can access the gold market, here are some examples: 1) Physical gold - you can buy and store physical gold 2) Gold producers - you can buy shares in companies that are already producing gold 3) Gold explorers - you can buy shares in companies looking for gold 4) ETF's - these vary enormously, but it's another way you can access the market.
I go through each one in my book "The Beginner's Guide to Investing in Gold"