Who started the Gold Rush in Australia?

Answer 1

The gold rush in Australia began tentatively with the first strike of payable gold near Ophir in NSW.

Less than three months after gold was "officially" discovered at Ophir in 1851, Victoria had its first gold strike at Sovereign Hill near Ballarat, in the same month it gained its independence from the NSW colony. While the Ballarat goldfields were rich and promising, the real goldrush began when gold was discovered at Mt Alexander, 60km northeast of Ballarat, and close to the town of Bendigo, in August 1851.

Answer 2

Gold was discovered in Australia as early as the 1830s, but discoveries were kept secret, for a number of reasons. Gold was first officially discovered in Australia in 1851, not far from Bathurst, New South Wales. Edward Hargraves is credited as being the one who started the gold rush, as he had carefully studied the geology of the area and was convinced that it was similar to that of the California goldfields. However, he enlisted the help of a prospector named John Lister, who was crucial to the discovery, because of his own local knowledge. Whilst the credit should be shared, it is commonly regarded that Hargraves started the gold rush.

Answer 3

The discovery of gold was officially announced in May 1851. The first payable gold strike occurred at Ophir, not far from Bathurst, New South Wales. Less than three months later, on 9 August 1851, Victoria had its first major gold strike.

Answer 4

Gold was first officially discovered in Australia in 1851, near Bathurst, New South Wales. Edward Hargraves had just returned from the Californian goldfields and, after studying the geology of the area, he was convinced that it was similar to that of the gold-producing country in California. He gained the assistance of John Lister, a man who had already found gold in the region. Lister led Hargraves directly to where gold was found, at Summerhill Creek, at a site which Hargraves named "Ophir". This was the initial goldrush. The discovery caused an outbreak of "gold fever" as people from all over Australia downed the tools of their own trades and picked up the necessary tools for joining the goldrush.

Many people started to leave the new state of Victoria, which had recently separated from New South Wales. Already rivals with NSW, the Victorian government decided on action to avoid losing more of its population to the northern goldfields. Subsequently, on 9 June 1851, Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe assembled a gold discovery committee, and offered a reward of £200 to anyone who found payable amounts of gold within 200 miles (320 kilometres) of Melbourne. In 1851, six months after the New South Wales find, gold was discovered at Ballarat, and a short time later at Bendigo Creek. This was the start of the "serious" goldrush in Australia.

Answer 5

Edward Hargraves

Answer 6

James Marshall started the gold rush.

Answer 7

lots of gold