What did the discovery of Gold mean for the future of Australia?

Answer 1

The discovery of gold was significant to Australian history for many reasons, and the goldrushes had lasting effects on Australian society.

• One of the main effects of the gold rushes was on the growing agricultural industry. Many men who worked on the farms, sheep and cattle stations simply downed their tools and left. Workers, owners, roustabouts, stockmen, jackaroos - they left their jobs for the lure of the goldfields. Often women and children were left to tend the stations their husbands left behind. As a result, Aboriginal labour became more popular. The goldrushes saw the rise of loyal Aboriginal stockmen and jackaroos who were willing to work long and hard for perhaps less pay than their predecessors.
• Because major gold discoveries were made in Victoria, this newly separated state suddenly found itself very wealthy. Businesses boomed, together with the population, and more people settled further out from the established towns, sparking interest and enthusiasm in exploration. Victoria's newfound wealth was directly responsible for the well-equipped but badly managed exploration of Burke and Wills, which ultimately resulted in their deaths.
• Immigration was a major effect of the Australian goldrush. Enormous numbers of immigrants, especially Chinese, brought their unique cultural influences to Australia, and many of the Chinese stayed on to build businesses in the towns once the main gold deposits were mined out. Gold attracted immigrants from many other European countries as well, and contributed in large part to the multicultural nature of Australia today.
• The events of the Eureka Stockade formed the basis for democracy that exists in Australia today. The miners fought for better rights amongst difficult conditions on the goldfields. While they did not immediately achieve their objective, it gained the attention of the Government. A Commission of Enquiry was conducted and changes were implemented. These included abolition of monthly gold licences, replaced by an affordable annual miner's licence. The numbers of troopers were reduced significantly, and Legislative Council was expanded to allow representation to the major goldfields.
• Gold brought wealth to Australia, and with it, a new sense of identity, and the independence and confidence to push for Federation and the establishent of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Basically, Australia no longer needed to be "piggybacked" by England any more.
• Because of the rivalry between Melbourne, Victoria and Sydney, NSW, a new site was chosen for the Australian capital. Canberra lies where it is today because of this very rivalry brought on by the goldrush.
• The goldrushes helped bring improvements in transportation. The famous "Cobb and Co Coaches" ran successfully for half a century, thanks to the goldrush. Train lines were built, linking the major centres, and roadways were improved.

Negative effects for Australia included:

• The greater displacement of the indigenous people as more and more of them were forced off their land.
• Separation of families as fathers left their jobs and went to the goldfields, hoping to strike it rich, while their wives stayed behind, sometimes having to operate the farms and stations on their own.
• Environmentally, the goldrush was a disaster, although unrecognised at the time. Features of the Australian landscape were forever altered in the space of a few decades, and soil erosion was a major effect, the evidence of which can still be seen today. Water quality was affected as people used the creeks and rivers for all their activities, including bathing and washing dirty (sometimes disease-ridden) clothes. Water salinity rose as natural watercourses were diverted. Introduced noxious weeds decimated native flora and affected native fauna, as did the introduction of domestic animals to hitherto unpopulated areas.

Answer 2

The discovery of gold meant significant changes for Australian society, for its economic and political development, and for its future in general.

• One of the main effects of the gold rushes was on the growing agricultural industry. Many men who worked on the farms, sheep and cattle stations simply downed their tools and left. Workers, owners, roustabouts, stockmen, jackaroos - they left their jobs for the lure of the goldfields. Often women and children were left to tend the stations their husbands left behind. As a result, Aboriginal labour became more popular. The goldrushes saw the rise of loyal Aboriginal stockmen and jackaroos who were willing to work long and hard for perhaps less pay than their predecessors.
• Because major gold discoveries were made in Victoria, this newly separated state suddenly found itself very wealthy. Businesses boomed, together with the population, and more people settled further out from the established towns, sparking interest and enthusiasm in exploration. Victoria's newfound wealth was directly responsible for the well-equipped but badly managed exploration of Burke and Wills, which ultimately resulted in their deaths.
• Immigration was a major effect of the Australian goldrush. Enormous numbers of immigrants, especially Chinese, brought their unique cultural influences to Australia, and many of the Chinese stayed on to build businesses in the towns once the main gold deposits were mined out. Gold attracted immigrants from many other European countries as well, and contributed in large part to the multicultural nature of Australia today.
• The events of the Eureka Stockade formed the basis for democracy that exists in Australia today. The miners fought for better rights amongst difficult conditions on the goldfields. While they did not immediately achieve their objective, it gained the attention of the Government. A Commission of Enquiry was conducted and changes were implemented. These included abolition of monthly gold licences, replaced by an affordable annual miner's licence. The numbers of troopers were reduced significantly, and Legislative Council was expanded to allow representation to the major goldfields.
• Gold brought wealth to Australia, and with it, a new sense of identity, and the independence and confidence to push for Federation and the establishent of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Basically, Australia no longer needed to be "piggybacked" by England any more.
• Because of the rivalry between Melbourne, Victoria and Sydney, NSW, a new site was chosen for the Australian capital. Canberra lies where it is today because of this very rivalry brought on by the goldrush.
• The goldrushes helped bring improvements in transportation. The famous "Cobb and Co Coaches" ran successfully for half a century, thanks to the goldrush. Train lines were built, linking the major centres, and roadways were improved.

Negative effects for Australia included:

• The greater displacement of the indigenous people as more and more of them were forced off their land.
• Separation of families as fathers left their jobs and went to the goldfields, hoping to strike it rich, while their wives stayed behind, sometimes having to operate the farms and stations on their own.
• Environmentally, the goldrush was a disaster, although unrecognised at the time. Features of the Australian landscape were forever altered in the space of a few decades, and soil erosion was a major effect, the evidence of which can still be seen today. Water quality was affected as people used the creeks and rivers for all their activities, including bathing and washing dirty (sometimes disease-ridden) clothes. Water salinity rose as natural watercourses were diverted. Introduced noxious weeds decimated native flora and affected native fauna, as did the introduction of domestic animals to hitherto unpopulated areas.

See also the related question below.