The Gold Rush

Gold became important to the long-term economic success of the colony after the Californian Goldrush in 1848 led thousands of men to seek their fortunes in America.

To combat this problem, the New South Wales' Government posted a 200-pound reward for anyone finding gold in 1849. In March 1850, a man named Edward Hargraves collected the reward. This find was written about in the Sydney Morning Herald and by May of the same year 300 men had descended on the site - the Australian goldrush had begun.


Edward Hargraves report in Sydney Morning Herald. ANMM Collection

Read more on this topic from the National Museum of Australia 

Challenge:
Research London in the 1800’s.
Mind-map the reasons why you think people chose to make the journey to Australia. Make a list of the of pro and cons they may have considered. 
One starting point for your research could be a site like: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/daily-life/  

Within days of the discovery being made public, reports in newspapers were featured in Australia and later all around the world spreading the exciting news.

Consider the excitement of the public about hearing of the gold discovery, would you be tempted to go?

Challenge:
Imagine you are a newspaper reporter.
- Write a newspaper headlines and report on the finding of gold in NSW.
- You are writing it for a paper to be published in England, a NSW paper or a Victorian paper think of the implications of the gold rush in NSW for each of these places. 
The Illustrated London News was a well-established paper when the news of the discovery of gold in Australia reached London. Below is one of the articles covering gold in Australia. See if you can find an article on the goldrush from the 1800’s.

Landing gold from The Australian steam ship in the East India Docks. ANMM Collection
 

The gold rush enticed many men women and children to travel to Australia. Below are some of the objects to represent some of the steps they would have undertaken.

Emigration depot at Birkenhead. ANMM Collection

Passenger ticket. ANMM Collection
 

Imagine you are one of the many migrants heading to Australia and you land in Melbourne.
What encouraged you to leave? How much do you know about the voyage and the destination? Where did you receive your information? How reliable was it? What did you experience on you journey?

Now think about your initial thoughts on arriving in Melbourne and experiencing the reality of the overcrowded Melbourne port a long way from the gold fields. How would you be feeling? 
Think about your next steps? What do you do, what supplies do you take, how do you travel to the gold fields, do you team up with others do you strike it rich?

Challenge:
Create a cartoon strip, create a play script, write a journal or write a series of letters over time outlining your journey back to your family.

Ballarat Gold Diggings 1853. ANMM Collection


Australian Life, Mount Alexander, ANMM Collection

Challenge:
Brainstorm how you think Canvas Town and other gold mining towns would have impacted on the environment.

Welcome Nugget - T.C. Williams Co. manufacturers Virginia USA c 1870. ANMM Collection

This poster was produced by the T.C. Williams tobacco company.
What do you believe the purpose would have been behind it?
What do believe the reaction to the image would have been like in the United States of America at the time?
Does it tempt you now?

Challenge:
Create your own poster encouraging others to come to migrate or visit Australia now.
What images would you use to convince people to come?