Australian gold rush Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Australian gold rushes
Gold diggings, Ararat, Victoria, by Edwin Stocqueler, 1854
Date	May 1851 – c. 1914
Location	Australia
Type	Gold rush
Theme	Significant numbers of workers (both from other areas within Australia and from overseas) relocated to areas in which gold had been discovered
Cause	prospector Edward Hargraves claimed to have discovered payable gold near Orange
Outcome	Changed the convict colonies into more progressive cities with the influx of free immigrants; Western Australia joined Federation

The Australian gold rush was a period when many gold discoveries were made across Australia. During these times, lots of people moved to areas where gold had been found. They came from other parts of Australia and from countries far away.

Before 1851, some gold was found, but the government of New South Wales (which included Victoria back then) kept it a secret. They worried that if people found out, workers would leave their jobs to search for gold. This could make the economy unstable.

But after the California Gold Rush started in 1848, many Australians left for California. The New South Wales government then changed its mind. They decided to allow gold mining and even offered rewards for finding gold. This led to the big gold rushes.

Looking for gold in Queensland, 1870

Thousands of people came to Australia hoping to find gold and get rich. The first big rush began in 1851 near Bathurst, New South Wales. The last major rush was in 1893 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

At first, gold was often found easily in rivers and creeks. This was called alluvial gold. Individual miners could find it using simple tools like a spade and a dish. Most of this easy-to-find gold was collected in the first few months.

To get gold buried deeper underground, miners had to work together. They dug tunnels and eventually, large companies were formed. These companies raised money to build deep gold mines.

The Excitement of the Gold Rush
- Fighting for Miners' Rights: The Eureka Stockade
Before the Big Gold Rushes
Where Gold Was Found
Images for kids
See also

The Excitement of the Gold Rush

Gold rushes happened when new alluvial gold was discovered. Miners would quickly move to these new spots. Everyone hoped to be the first to find surface gold.

For example, miners rushed to Clunes, Victoria in August 1851. But they soon moved to Buninyong when they heard of a new discovery. Weeks later, gold was found at Ballarat. Within six weeks, over 10,000 people were digging there. By 1852, many miners had left Ballarat for the new goldfields at Bendigo.

Fighting for Miners' Rights: The Eureka Stockade

In 1854, miners in Ballarat were very unhappy. They had to pay for gold licences, which they felt was unfair. In protest, they burned their licences and raised a flag called the Eureka Stockade flag.

The miners fought against soldiers and police officers to protect their rights. This event is known as the Eureka Stockade. Many people were hurt or died. However, after this protest, the miners no longer had to pay for their licences. This was a big win for them.

Before the Big Gold Rushes

Gold was found in Australia before the main gold rush of 1851. At first, people didn't believe the stories. In 1823, a convict found gold near Bathurst. He was given 150 lashes with a whip because officials thought he must have stolen it.

The explorer Count Paul Strzelecki found gold in the Australian Alps in 1839. The government kept this a secret. They didn't want convicts to run off and search for gold.

Other gold finds before 1851 included:

Strathloddon, Victoria in 1840
Hartley, New South Wales in 1844
Montecute, South Australia in 1846
Glenmona Station, Victoria (near Maryborough) in 1849

Where Gold Was Found

Gold rushes happened in many different parts of Australia. Here are some of the key locations where gold was discovered.

Gold in New South Wales

New South Wales had the first big gold rush. Many other rushes followed over the next 30 years.

Ophir, New South Wales, north east of Bathurst, 12 February 1851
Hill End, 1851
Tilba Tilba, 1852
Kiandra, January 1860
Young, June 1860
Forbes, June 1861
Parkes, 1862
Gulgong in 1870
West Wyalong, 1893

Gold in Victoria

Site of the first gold discovery, Poverty Point, Ballarat

Victoria became a separate colony in 1851. It quickly became a major gold-producing region.

Clunes, 28 June 1851
Warrandyte, at Anderson's Creek, July 1851
Castlemaine, 20 July 1851
Buninyong, 2 August 1851
Ballarat, 8 August 1851
Bendigo, October 1851
Beechworth, February 1852
Yackandandah, May 1852
Eaglehawk, May 1852
Omeo, 1852
Heathcote 1852
Walhalla, February 1853
Maldon, June 1853
Buckland River, July 1853
Waranga, 3 August 1853
Creswick, 1853
Ararat, October 1854
Daylesford
Blackwood, February 1855
St Arnaud, 1855
Dunnolly
Tarnagulla
Moliagul
Wedderburn, 1852
Rheola
Inglewood
Kingower
Stawell, 1857
Chiltern 1858
Barkly 1859
Wood's Point, 1862
Gaffney's Creek
Jamieson
Matlock

Gold in South Australia

South Australia also had its own gold discoveries.

Onkaparinga, October 1852
Teetulpa, 1886

Gold in Western Australia

Western Australia saw significant gold rushes later in the 19th century.

Hall's Creek, 1885
The Pilbara, 1888
Southern Cross, 1888
Coolgardie, 17 September 1892
Kalgoorlie 14 June 1893

Gold in Queensland

Queensland had several important goldfields.

Rockhampton, 1858
Gympie, 1867
Ravenswood, 25 December 1871
Charters Towers, 1872
Palmer River, near Cooktown, 1873
Hodgkinson River, near Cairns, 1875
Mount Morgan
Coen, 1878
Croydon, 1885

Gold in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory also had a gold rush.

Pine Creek, 1871

Images for kids

Australian gold diggings, by Edwin Stocqueler, c. 1855
Edward Hargraves, returning the salute of the gold miners, 1851, Thomas Balcombe.
A view of the first small village to develop on the Mount Alexander goldfields at Chewton (then known as Forest Creek) near Castlemaine in 1852, painted by Samuel Thomas Gill
Another view of the Mount Alexander goldfields in 1852, painted by Samuel Thomas Gill
Sketch-map by shepherd William Sandbach, depicting the birth of the Bendigo goldfield, detailing who was there and where their claims and camp sites were. Sandbach believed that fellow worker William Johnson had been the first to find gold at Bendigo in October 1851.
A chart showing the Great Nuggets of Victoria at Museums Victoria
Minehead, goldfields Gulgong, New South Wales, 1872–1873, attributed to Henry Beaufoy Merlin
Overpainted albumen print of gold diggers and Aborigines near Rockhampton c. 1860s