The Australian Gold Rush

By joshneedsatimeline

  • William Tipple Smith finds gold in the Blue Mountains, but is quietened by the government

    William Tipple Smith finds gold in the Blue Mountains, but is quietened by the government
    The government forced him to not share his discovery with anyone, as they believed that if the presence gold was widely known about the rate of crime would increase dramatically (which it did).

  • Gold discovered in California.

    This caused the beginning of the California Gold Rush, which made many rich and made many more eager to find more gold, so when gold was found in Australia a few years later many people left for Australia because of the amount of money made during the previous gold rush.

  • Edward Hargraves finds gold in NSW

    Edward Hargraves finds gold in NSW
    Hargraves came from California with the hopes of finding gold, and he unearthed gold at Summer Hill Creek, starting the Gold Rush in Australia.

  • The Gold Rush begins

    Thousands of migrants come to Australia, boosting Australia's economy dramatically and also causing Australia's culture to become as complex and diverse as it is today.

  • The Eureka Rebellion comes to a head in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade.

    The Eureka Rebellion comes to a head in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade.
    The Eureka Rebellion was formed in 1851 by a group of people who were protesting the license fee required to be legally allowed to search for gold and their lack of political rights. The rebellion culminated in a battle in Ballarat between the British soldiers and the rebels, with 27 casualties officially recorded and many more injuries occuring. A comprehensive history of the rebellion can be found here: YouTube

  • The Chinese made up 3 percent of the population

    The majority of people thought lowly of the Chinese, with many riots occurring because of it. These riots caused the Chinese Immigration Act, decreasing the amount of Chinese migrants that could come to Australia, which in turn paved the way for the White Australia Policy. More information can be found about the White Australia Policy here: NMA

  • Australia's population quadruples

    Due to the amount of migrants coming to Australia from 1851 onwards to try to become rich, the population quadruples.

  • Gold dries up

    The last major gold rush within Australia was in Kalgoorlie in 1893, after which no worthwhile amounts of gold could be found in Australia.