The earliest recorded discovery of gold was made in 1823 at Bathurst, N.S.W. by a Lands Department surveyor, James Mc Brien.
Mc Brien was engaged in the survey of a road along the Fish River, between Rydal and Bathurst and at one point of the survey recorded in his field book the following note: "At E. (end of survey line) 1 chain 50 links to river and marked gum tree. At this point I found numerous particles of gold convenient to river"
Following this report numerous gold discoveries were made in New South Wales but these were hushed up by a government fearful of the consequences it would have on the pastoral industry if workers left for the goldfields
It was not until Edward Hammond Hargave's discovery of payable gold in 1851 that any real gold rush began in Australia.
Gold was found in Victoria in 1851, Queensland in 1858, Tasmania in 1886 and in Western Australia in 1886.
Early discoveries were often worked with crude tools such as picks and pans until the
surface gold was depleted. This would often lead to more advanced forms of mining such as large scale dredging, hydraulic sluicing and hard rock mining.
THE EUREKA STOCKADE
The "Eureka Stockade" was Australia's first Civil uprising was essentially a short-lived revolt by gold miners against petty officialdom and harassment by
a corrupt Police force, who would often ask miners to show their gold digging licences several times a day. The miners also
objected to the high cost of the licences.
More information on the Eureka Stockade can be seen by clicking
here. Please click on the flag for more history of the flag and how it came to be.
Sydney Morning Herald - 1851 "Gold digging they imagine is but play - kicking the nuggets out of the sand with their feet. They find,
on arrival, it is exceedingly laborious and heavy work and that they will kick their feet
and knock their shins against a good many rocks, before they see the specks - let alone the nuggets."
Click on the nugget to go back to The Aussie Prospectors Page"
