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First Real Discovery Of Gold
The first authentic discovery of the precious metal in this State was made by "Assistant-Surveyor" James McBrien, on the 16th February, in the neighbourhood of the Fish River, and not far from the scene of Hargraves' memorable discovery twenty-eight years later. In 1839 Count Strzelecki reported the existence of gold in the Vale of Clwydd, near Lithgow, while the Rev. W. B. Clarke discovered the precious metal on the Cox River in 1841, and on the Wollondilly in 1842. In 1839, Hargraves found pay -
Edward Hardgraves Gold Find
In March 1851, Edward Hargraves wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald to announce that he had found payable gold just outside the New South Wales town of Bathurst. By 15 May over 300 diggers were in the area prospecting for gold and the Australian gold rush had begun. The following month further discoveries were made at Clunes in Victoria and later Warrandyte, Bunninyong and Ballarat. By the end of the year half the adult male population of the colony was at the diggings. -
The Richest Goldfield
On the 9th of June 1851 Ballarat goldfield was declared the richest goldfield in Australia. -
Eureka Stockade
In 1851 there were less than 50 soldiers and a few police in Victoria. The gold rush meant that more police had to be quickly recruited. Most were unsatisfactory, many being ex convicts or guards. Each goldfield was run by a Gold Commissioner (paid 500 pounds a year) and his assistant, a police inspector, troopers (mounted police paid 3 shillings a day), police on foot (called traps, paid 2 shillings and ninepence per day) and Aboriginal Police (paid 1 shilling and a halfpenny per day). -
Chinese Riots
Chinese diggers were subject to growing resentment on the gold fields. European miners were angered by an increasing Chinese presence in the fields, and on several occasions violently lashed out at the Chinese camps in an attempt to drive them away. In some instances, full scale rioting resulted as angry Europeans attacked the Chinese diggers in "roll ups". Colonial authorities were at a loss to control the violence. -
Welcome Stranger
The Welcome Stranger is the name given to the largest alluvial gold nugget found, which had a calculated refined weight of 2,283 oz 6 dwts 9 gr[2] (62.0192 kg). It measured 61 by 31 cm (24 by 12 in) and was discovered by Cornish prospectors John Deason and Richard Oates on 5 February 1869 at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia,[3] about 9 miles north-west of Dunolly. -
Becoming Multicultural Country
In the gold rush era many different countries came to Australia to mine and thyen stayed for the rest of their lives to make australia multicultural. -
Shootout at Glenrowan
A final violent confrontation with police took place at Glenrowan on 28 June 1880. Kelly, dressed in home-made plate metal armour and a helmet, was captured and sent to jail. -
Population Boom
In the late 1880s through to the mid 1890s, there were discoveries of rich goldfields in Western Australia which caused more gold rushes. Australia's population grew from 400,000 to over 1,000,000 during 1845 to 1896 as a consequence of gold discoveries -
Ned Kelly Is Hung
Ned Kelly was hung on 11 November 1880 at the Melbourne Gaol. Kelly's gaol warden wrote in his diary that when Kelly was prompted to say his last words, the prisoner opened his mouth and mumbled something that he could not hear.
