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First official reports of the finding of gold in Australia by J McBrien. The information was suppressed by the government who feared a convict rampage.
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Geologists P E Strzelecki and Rev W B Clarke find gold near Hartley.
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Transportation of convicts to NSW stopped.
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Gold discovered in California (announced in December 1848).
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Californian gold rush. A great many Australians sailed for California.
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Edward Hargraves returned from California and washed gold at Summer Hill Creek, Ophir. Although he showed little skill in discovering new fields, he received recognition and financial rewards. The early rush to the NSW fields led to a serious decline in the population in Victoria, so a reward was offered for the discovery of gold in that region.Most gold was panned
because of all these people, gold soon ran out -
Prospectors started arriving from overseas. Approximately 100000 arrived in 1852. Ships' crews deserted. Women were left while their husbands went in search of gold. Australia's population went from 404 276 to 1 097 305 between 1850 and 1860. Small gold deposits were discovered in New Zealand.
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The licence fee in NSW was reduced to 10/- a month after near riots at Turon.
Victoria followed suit a few months later. -
In Victoria, the licence was replaced with the `Miner's Right', costing 1/- per annum and carrying the right to vote. An export duty of 2s 6d per ounce was placed on gold instead.
Soon NSW follow to by creating the miner's right -
Lambing Flat riots, in which whites attacked Chinese miners.
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gold discovered in queensland
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gold dicovered in alaska
