Impact on Towns & Population
“Between 1851 and 1860, an estimated 300,000 people came to Australian colonies from England and Wales, with another 100,000 from Scotland and 84,000 from Ireland. Gold seekers from Germany, Italy and North America also made the journey to Australia in search of gold. Just over 5,000 people from New Zealand and other South Pacific nations, and at least 42,000 people from China, also arrived in Australia during the 1850s gold rushes. During this period, the colony of Victoria received 60% of all immigrants to Australia”.
As news of the Gold Rush spread people from all over the world flocked to Australia in excitement to try and make their fortune. Thousands of immigrants from Europe, America, China and New Zealand joined those who had already made their way to the gold fields in their search for gold. Between 1852 and 1861 342,000 people had arrived, causing a huge rise in the cost of food and goods and placing great strain on infrastructure such as roads, bridges and transport. In addition to the influx of new people to the country, hundreds more were leaving their usual posts to try their luck on the gold fields. Ships crews deserted, leaving vessels stranded in ports, shepherds left their flocks, farmers left their land, government officers, clerks, teachers and policemen left their jobs. Businesses found it hard to continue operating and many previously bustling areas began to resemble ghost towns. With the first discoveries taking place in N.S.W, much of Melbourne, which contained only a small population, became deserted. To entice people back over the border a reward was offered to anybody who found gold within 200 miles of Melbourne. It wasn’t long before gold was discovered in Ballarat and a new rush kicked in.
Despite the initial strain caused by people leaving their jobs to head to the goldfields and the need for better infrastructure the new wealth created by the gold rush combined with the huge migration of people bought many improvements to Australia. The first railway was constructed, as was the first telegraph, roads were built, the tent cities developed into small towns and some of those such as Ballarat and Bendigo expanded into major cities and agriculture expanded. Transport of convicts to the east coast was abolished as in effect they were receiving free passes to a gold rich country. Much of the yet ‘unmapped’ parts of the country were explored and settled in the search for gold and events sparked by the gold rush also contributed to the Federation of Australia on January 1st 1901. Prior to this there was no actual country called Australia, there were six colonies of New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia that existed on the Australian continent and Tasmania, the island colony.
The gold rush had lasting impact on the Aboriginal Community of Australia. Already displaced from many areas by pastoralists they were subject to more loss of land and destruction of their environment. Miners didn’t hesitate to cut down trees, muddy up and pollute river systems and even divert them for use elsewhere. They had no regard for the wildlife, natural environment or sacred sites in their search for fortune. In addition, the gold rush bought diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza, alcohol abuse and malnutrition due to loss and destruction of the natural resources used by the Aboriginal Australians. Many traditional ways of life were compromised among communities near the gold fields and mortality rose considerably.
When disillusion set in and people gave up their hope of finding gold, most made their way back to towns and cities to find work. Some of the immigrants went home to their countries but many stayed, influencing and shaping the Nation that is Australia today.
Aboriginal Australians
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Chinese on the Gold fields
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When gold was discovered in 1851 near Ballarat it bought immigrants from all over the world with the largest influx coming from China. In 1861 Chinese made up almost 7% of the state’s population and 3.1% of the Australian population. They worked extremely hard, were very resourceful and industrious, using techniques that were widely different from the other diggers. As a result of this, their physical appearance and their different cultural and religious practices European diggers were suspicious and resentful of them and many were subjected to severe racism and persecution. Chinese miners would often be driven off their claims if they became profitable, and were made to work in other areas or abandoned sites. Conflict arose quickly and eventually lead to violent anti-Chinese riots at a number of gold fields with the most famous taking place at Lambing Flat in N.S.W (now known as Young). Over a 10 month period six anti-Chinese riots occurred with the most serious on 14th July 1861 when around 2000 European diggers brutally attacked Chinese miners. About 250 Chinese miners were badly injured and lost all of their belongings.
Following these disputes and much public pressure the NSW government passed legislation to restrict the number of Chinese in the Colony with Queensland following suit in 1877 and Western Australia in 1886. These restrictions were the beginning of a number of events that eventually lead to the White Australia Policy which was introduced by the Federation in 1901. Despite their poor treatment the Chinese contributed greatly to the gold rush. They not only joined the search for gold on the fields but also filled jobs on farms, worked as cooks, cabinet makers, interpreters, tobacco farmers, market gardeners, storekeepers, drapers, scrub clearers and dry fish merchants. They filled many jobs that were needed at the time and bought with them new and unique cultural influences.
Anti-Chinese Banner, 1861