Why did the government encourage gold searching in 1851?

Answer 1

The Australian government offered a reward for the first payable gold in 1851 in order to stem the tide of Australians leaving for the Californian goldrushes. Valuable manpower was being lost from Australia. Therefore, despite early gold discoveries being suppressed, the New South Wales government decided to offer a substantial reward to the first person to find gold.

Only the first person needed a reward. Once the goldrush began, Australian would-be prospectors concentrated their efforts at finding their "fortune in gold" on Australian soil.

Answer 2

Gold was discovered in Australia as early as 1823, but discoveries were kept secret, and discouraged, for a number of reasons.

First, there was the fear of sparking off unrest among the convicts. There was concern that, if the convicts heard about these discoveries, they would be more likely to attempt escape, and find their way to the goldfields to either look for gold, or to become bushrangers. This is why the first unofficial discovery of gold by Surveyor James McBrien at the Fish River near Bathurst, NSW in 1823, was kept quiet. When Reverend WB Clark found gold near Lithgow in 1941, he was requested by Governor Gipps to keep quiet about it. Gipps is reported to have said, "Put it away, Mr Clarke, or we will all have our throats cut!"

The discoveries were often made on good land. Settlers did not want a sudden influx of prospectors trooping over their properties, ruining good pastureland for their livestock, or damaging crops. They certainly did not want to risk the lawlessness that would inevitably follow. Nor did they want their workers leaving in droves to find gold.