How did the Australian gold rush affect the Aborigine's?

Answer 1

Aborigines rarely bothered to look for gold, but they were able to trade with the miners. Some of them even became members of the Native Police Corps, and many were employed as "black trackers".

The aboriginal people saw little value in gold for themselves. Gold not be eaten; it could not be used in any practical ways. The Aborigines benefitted more by offering their services as guides to potential diggers looking for new sites. Also, with the wave of workers leaving sheep and cattle stations for the goldfields, Aborigines had better prospects with employment there, rather than the goldfields.

However, the rush of diggers to the goldfields increased the problems of displacement of the Aborigines from their own land. The effects of gold mining on the land were devastating and long-lasting. Gold mining ripped up the land, polluted the rivers and creeks, and left nothing for the aboriginal people who had lived there for centuries. Aborigines were again dispossessed of their land as they had been time and time again since the arrival of the Europeans. After having been forced off tribal lands by settlers and pastoralists, the goldrush forced even more Aborigines deeper into the interior. However, it must also be noted that, with the new wealth of the country and expanding farming land, many Aborigines were given opportunities to work on the sheep and cattle stations. The cost of European labour had increased dramatically with the goldrush, and Aborigines were seen as a cheap alternative.

See the links below for more information on how Aborigines benefitted from the gold rush.