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370,000 immigrants arrived in Australia’s ports during the year 1852 alone.
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The Australian goldrushes transformed Australia as hundreds of thousands of hopeful diggers rushed to New South Wales and Victoria in search of their fortune. The gold license system was introduced soon after the first rushes began: from 23 May 1851 in New South Wales and from 1 September 1851 in Victoria. Everyone wanting to dig for gold had to pay 30 shillings ($1.50) a month for a license. This allowed digging within a specific area and laid down certain rules: diggers must carry their licens
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In 1855 at the Mount Alexander goldfield, a group of inexperienced miners where sent to a claim in Golden Gully that was believed to be empty. Such spots were called ‘duffer claims’ and were thought to be useless. However, in this case, the nasty trick very swiftly backfired. On only their second day of digging, the miners unearthed a 1008 ounce gold nugget which would change their lives forever. The nugget was named after a well liked gold commissioner called Mr Heron.
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•'Welcome Stranger' nugget discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates in Moliagul, Victoria. It is the world's largest nugget found to date.
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It and weighs 875 troy ounces (27.21 kilograms) making it also the largest still in existence
