A gold rush can turn a common man into a millionaire in an instant. It can be defined as a period of intense labor migration to an area where a large amount of gold has been discovered. The gold rush occurred in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States.
Gold Rushes are usually marked with the upbeat and optimistic sentiment of something that is free for all. This makes it possible for anyone to be absolutely prosperous instantly. The definition given above is what a gold rush was. Many people associate the gold rush with the California gold rush, although it is a fact that the Australian gold rush remains the richest gold rush in the world to date.
The Australian gold rush began in 1851 when Edward Hammond Hargraves went with his guide John Lister to Lewis Pond Creek. Here they filled and washed some pans and found they contained gold. The news spread like wildfire, and over the next few days other people from all walks of life were seen to be investigating as if their lives depended on it.
Hargraves did not make a great fortune in gold. He did so even though he named Bathurst’s gold field Ophir. Later, James Tom, a farmer, stated that he was not Hargraves and said that he actually found the gold. Even then, the official verdict was against him. Hargraves was labeled as the Crown Lands Commissioner for New South Wales. John Lister and William Tom conducted another investigation, just before their death in 1899, and this time it came out in favor of the claims that were made. (James Tom’s brother)
The first discovery was in New South Wales, followed by Clunes, Ballarat, Buninyong, and then Bendigo Creek. Gold was soon found in every other Australian state. The first gold license was issued in Victoria in 1851. Different numbers of licenses were issued throughout the country.
The Victorian Gold Rush that occurred just after the California Gold Rush was the largest of the Gold Rush in Australia. The gold rush was of the utmost importance, because it served as a stimulus for economic and political development in Victoria and Melbourne. By the end of 1851, about 250,000 ounces of gold had been mined.
The Australian gold rush gave way to the development of most of the city. Railroads and telephone lines were built. The sudden gathering of people gave way to multiculturalism and racism. It also marked the beginning of the Eureka stockade and the end of criminal transport.
In 1852, 370,000 migrants entered the country and the economy received a positive boost. Victoria alone contributed to almost a third of the world’s total gold production in the 1850s. Within two years, the population had increased from 77,000 to 540,000. A fun fact to note here is that the total number of immigrants was more than the total number of criminals from the last 70 years who had landed there. The total population tripled between 1851 and 1871, from 430,000 to 1.7 million people.