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Period: to
The Australian Gold Rush
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First Official Reports Of Finding Gold
First official reports of finding gold In Australia by J Mcbrien.The infomation was suppressed. -
Gold Find In Hartley
Geologists P E Strzelecki and Rev W B Clarke find gold near Hartley. -
Transportation Of Convicts
Transportation of convicts to NSW ceased. -
Gold In California
Gold discovered in California (announced in December 1848). -
Mining Mineral Resources
Governor Fitzroy approached the Colonial Office, advocating a policy for the exploitation of mineral resources. He requested a geologist, which led to the appointment of Samuel Stutchbury. This gave approval for the mining of mineral resources. -
Australians Sail For California
Californian gold rush. A great many Australians sailed for California. -
Edward Hargraves
GOLD- Who is Edward Hargraves
Edward Hargraves returned from California and washed gold at Summer Hill Creek Ophir.Athough 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. Several claimants came forward, and by the endof 1851 the incredibly rich Ballarat and Bendigo fields were in production. -
Growth Of Population
Prospectors started arriving from overseas. Approximately 100 000 arrived in1852. Ships' crews deserted. Women were left while their husbands went in earch of gold. Australia's population went from 404 276 to 1 097 305 between1850 and 1860. Small gold deposits were discovered in New Zealand. -
Licence Fees Reduced
The licence fee in NSW was reduced to 10/- a month after near riots at Turon.Victoria followed suit a few months later. -
The Eureka Stockade
Riot or Revolution - The Eureka Stockade 1854
Discontent with the licensing system and lack of political rights came to a head in the Eureka Stockade. An inquiry followed. -
Licence Replaced
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. -
Similar Changes
NSW adopted similar changes in licensing and voting to Victoria. -
Gold Discovered In British Columbia
Gold discovered in British Columbia (25 000 prospectors). -
Fitzroy River
A small deposit of gold was discovered north of Fitzroy River in north Queensland.The few acres were soon exhausted by the arrivals. 5000-6000 footsore penniless diggers had to be helped to return to Victoria or to the inland NSW goldfields. -
Chinese On The Goldfields
An influx of Chinese miners meant that by 1860 one fifth of all adult men in Victoria were Chinese. -
Lambing Flat Riots
Lambing Flat riots, in which whites attacked Chinese miners. -
Gold Find In New Zealand
Workable gold discovered in New Zealand. Between 1861 and 1863, 64 000 people travelled to Otago from Australia, while only 8600 arrived from Britain. -
Gold At Coolgardie
Gold discovered at Coolgardie, WA. -
Gold Discover In Gympie
A valuable goldfield discovered in Gympie, Queensland. -
Gold Found On The Rand, South Africa
Valuable deposits of very deep gold discovered on the Rand, South Africa. It took money and machinery to extract this gold. -
Gold Discovered At Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie Gold Mining WA 1930's -- 1950's
Gold discovered at Kalgoorlie, WA. -
Gold Discovery At Alaska
The first goldfields were alluvial or surface goldfields, where the gold could be washed or winnowed from the soil. The life of these goldfield was short. In Victoria 1852, it was estimated that the value of gold found by diggers was an average of 324 oz per head. By 1856 it had fallen to 103 oz and it further decline to 78 oz per head. In Victoria in 1856, there were 115 000 propestors (or alluvial diggers)
