Abandoned ships in harbour during the gold rush GOLD RUSH STORIES - PART 20 - POPULATION EXODUS TO THE GOLD FIELDS

Gold Rush Stories - Part 20 - Population Exodus to the Gold Fields

Abandoned ships in San Francisco harbour during the gold rush 1849
Emigration to California flyer advertising passage to the Californian gold fields during the Gold Rush GOLD RUSH STORIES - PART 22 - HOW MAY EMIGRATION TO CALLIFORNIA BE CHECKED?

 

 

LESSONS FROM THE CALIFORNIAN GOLD RUSH

CONCERNS OVER POPULATION EXODUS TO THE GOLD FIELDS

Gold was first discovered on the road to Bathurst but was initially kept a secret as the colonial government didn’t want the already sparse population to disperse to the new found gold fields west of the Blue Mountains. Nor did they want convicts escaping to dig holes for themselves in search of the magic glitter.

After all you can’t eat gold.

Having learnt from the Californian Gold Rush when many free settlers crossed the ocean to try their luck in the Americas. The first discoveries of gold were initially kept hidden from the populace to quell any hiccups in the early planning and settlement of the colony.

Mass emigration of the city populace to the gold fields depleted the work forces in the cities, Melbourne in particular saw a lot of men leave for the Ballarat and Bendigo Gold fields.

Goldmine, Bendigo - Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales – The Holterman Collection c1870-1875
(Goldmine, Bendigo - The Holterman Collection , c1870-1875)

 

A contained populace is also far easier to govern than one spread out across a vast countryside, as is resource management for a colony who still knew very little of the landscape, the reversal of seasons, nor the alien flora and fauna.

A fact not lost on early bush rangers who terrorised the gold fields.

 

What's the best thing to do in Darwin?

 

 

In 1848 the Californian Gold Rush sent the world into a frenzy. An exodus of free folk from Australia fled to the gold fields of California.

“Miners extracted more than 750,000 pounds of gold during the California Gold Rush”.

(Gold Rush of 1849, n.d.)

The small labour forces that existed here in Australia were needed for the new found pastoral industries and the colonial administrators were fearful of depleting an already limited labour force.

Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton exhibition display about The Golden Fleece and the Squatocracy GOLD RUSH STORIES - PART 7 - WHAT WAS THE THE SQUATOCRACY?

To stem the flow brought on by gold fever the colony administrators kept the discovery of gold secret until it was apparent that it was in the colony’s best interests to create their own mint, the first royal mint outside of England, and establish a local currency and economy.

Australia’s population trebled to 1.7 million people in the space of 20 years

(What happened if a goldminer found gold?, n.d.)

(Gold rushes, n.d.)

 

@kieran.wicks #GoldRushStories #AustralianHistory #VoicesofFederation #OneTownataTime #California #Exodus #Filmmaker #BritishEmpire #Producer #Gold #FYP ♬ original sound - Kieran.Wicks

 

Bernard Holternman and the Holterman Nugget the largest gold nugget ever found GOLD RUSH STORIES PART 34 - HOW MUCH GOLD IS THERE?

GANDALF DESIGN COLLECTION - LIVING ART LIFESTYLE - DESIGN STORY BACKGROUND DIGITAL ART - CATHERDRAL FIG ATHERTON TABLELANDS NORTH QUEENSLAND - WEARABLE ART DESIGNER FASHION DRAPED KIMONO PHOTO TAKEN BY KIERAN WICKS AT MT TINBEERWAH LOOKOUT NOOSA, SUNSHINE COAST QLD, SUNRISE LANDSCAPE

The British Empire was eager to establish Victoria as a more permanent settlement, and had no desires or need for another penal colony, as they had in Sydney, Hobart and Perth.

The French were also spreading their tentacles of colonisation throughout the Southern Hemisphere and the British knew that in order to secure their dominion over South Eastern Australia they would need to attract free-settlers to the colonies, in a similar fashion to how the USA approached populating California.

Cape Bridgewater, Victoria - The Petrified Forest - One Town at a Time

Australia’s rich gold deposits symbolised an opportunity for the British Empire to pay back its significant international debts and expand the empire, ultimately working to help facilitate the funding of the industrialisation of Australia, fortifying the British Empire as ‘the’ world superpower until the mid-20th century, when the USA took its place, brought on the economic turmoil resulting from two World Wars.

When it became clear to the powers that be that they couldn’t keep the figurative ‘cat in the bag’, Australia’s community leaders attempted to learn as much as they could from the experiences of the Californian gold fields, emulating the best aspects whilst avoiding the worst.

 

FULL REFERENCES
LAWSON; SON OF A SUFFRAGETTE - PART 3 - STREETS PAVED WITH GOLD

 

Luminous Collection Fleece Hoodie Green Hodie, fluro, church cathedral designer fashionSCOTS OF THE RIVERINA BY HENRY LAWSON

Emigration to California flyer advertising passage to the Californian gold fields during the Gold Rush GOLD RUSH STORIES - PART 21 - LATEST FROM CALIFORNIA

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A polymathic touring musician, film maker, historian and producer, for the past 8 years Kieran Wicks has navigated the Great Southern Land of Australia performing hundreds of shows to ravenous audiences, whilst simultaneously developing a vast catalogue of interviews, images and videos in the production of multiple formative docuseries including 'One Town at a Time', which records his musical journey, immersed in poignant, forgotten Australian history and poetry, in archives such as 'Gold Rush Stories' and 'Poetry of the Pioneers'.

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