Brody's Gold Timeline

By brodog03
  • Period: to

    Gold Rush Timeline

  • Government Surveyor James McBrien

    Government Surveyor James McBrien discovers traces of gold in the Fish River, east of Bathurst.

  • Paul de Strzelecki

    Explorer and geologist Paul de Strzelecki discovers small amounts of gold in silicate near Hartley in the Blue Mountains. On hearing of the find, New South Wales Governor George Gipps officially requests that no mentions are made of it in de Strzelecki's reports.

  • Gold

    Early gold discoveries were greeted with fear. Members of the governing class were afraid that the news of gold discoveries would encourage convicts and free settlers to abandon the cities and newly established townships in their search for gold.

  • William Campbell

    William Campbell finds gold on his sheep run in Strathlodden, Victoria, in 1840.

  • First payable gold discovered

    •First payable gold discovered at Ophir in NSW - beginning of the great Australian gold rush

  • Gold miners rebel at Eureka in Victoria

    •Gold miners rebel at Eureka in Victoria, in protest at the conditions imposed by the 'Miner's Licence'. The rebellion led to the abolition of the Miner's Licence.

  • gold

    Rich gold deposits found in North Queensland. First gold discovered in SA at Birdwood.

  • The 1870s

    The 1870s saw the discoveries of gold in South Australia and Queensland. Interest in these colonies intensified as people started moving to the scenes of gold discoveries in the hopes of striking it rich.

  • the Holtermann Nugget

    World's largest piece of gold-bearing material, the Holtermann Nugget (a mixture of slate and gold weighing 235 kg) found by William Holtermann at Hill End NSW. See image 3

  • First WA gold discoveries at Halls Creek.

    First WA gold discoveries at Halls Creek.Triggers gold rush in WA.

  • 1887

    Large amounts of gold found at the Murchison goldfield, WA.

  • the discovery of major gold deposits in WA

    With the discovery of major gold deposits in WA, moves were made towards combining the colonies into one nation. Prior to the discoveries, the government of WA had been reluctant to join the other colonies as they felt they would have little influence on any decisions made by a Federal Government. With the new found wealth that the gold brought, they decided to become part of the Commonwealth.

  • 1892

    Bayley and Ford discover large gold deposits at Coolgardie in WA.

  • 1893

    Hannan's discovery at Kalgoorlie, the last and most important early goldfield.

  • 1899

    The Perth Mint established to profit from Australia's richest goldfield at Kalgoorlie.