Gold rush series 2019
In the early years of the gold rush Melbourne was a city in chaos. Over the next decade this would double, then double again, to reach 537,847 in 1860, and that only included those who had stayed! Many more had come and gone. In 1851 Victoria was still a sleepy little outpost of Britain, with a population of just under 100,000. Soon every available vessel had been commandeered for the long journey to Australia, and Victoria was inundated by eager gold seekers. As stories circulated of fabulous finds literally picked up from the ground, gold fever gripped the imagination of thousands on both sides of the globe. It represented the opportunity of a lifetime to escape from the relentless cycle of hard work and low pay that was the lot of most people. In some of the suburbs, not a man is left.’ As Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe wrote to his superior in England, ‘Cottages are deserted, houses to let, even schools are closed.
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The impact on farms and businesses was devastating at first. By the following year thousands began to arrive from Britain, Europe, America and then China.
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Men throughout Australia immediately downed tools to ‘rush’ to the goldfields, soon joined by others from New Zealand. Stories of fabulous discoveries in California were already famous and the Australian finds promised the same opportunity. Gold was first discovered in Australia in 1851 – first in New South Wales and then in Victoria. Discover the turbulent tale of Victoria’s gold rush through the individual stories of just 20 objects.