Victorian Gold Rush

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria in Australia between approximately 1851 and the early 1860s.

Major and long lasting impact

The Gold Rush had a large influence on Melbourne, on Victoria, and on Australia as a whole. It touched every aspect of society and elements of it still clearly visible today. The influx of wealth that gold brought soon made Victoria Australia's richest state by far, and Melbourne the nation's largest city. Although most goldfields were exhausted by the end of the 19th century, and although much of the profit was sent back to the United Kingdom, sufficient remained to fund substantial development of industry and infrastructure.

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The Eureka Stockade, an armed protest/revolt over what the miners perceived as unfair policing and harsh taxation, is widely regarded as important in Victoria and Australia's democratic development.

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It is reflected in the architecure of Victorian gold-boom cities like Melbourne, Castlemaine, Ballarat, Bendigo, Maldon and Beechworth. Ballarat has Sovereign Hill — a 60 acre (240,000 m²) recreation of a gold rush town — as well as the Gold Museum. The tiny town of Walhalla is at the other end of the spectrum, but certainly worth a visit.

Related Topics:
Castlemaine - Ballarat - Bendigo - Maldon - Beechworth

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Gold mining virtually ceased in Victoria in the early 20th century, in the main not because there was no more gold but because the depth and cost of pumping. The First World War also drained Australia of the labour needed to work the mines. However, as of 2005 the recent increase in the gold price has seen a resurgence in commercial mining activity; mining has resumed in Bendigo and exploration proceeds elsewhere, for instance in Glen Wills, an isolated mountain area near Mitta Mitta in north-eastern Victoria.

Related Topics:
First World War - Bendigo - Mitta Mitta

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