How has the discovery of gold changed and developed Australia?

Answer 1

There are many ways in which the gold rush changed Australian culture and society, affected the direction of politics and helped to develop the country into what it is today.

One of the ways it shaped Australian history was through Immigration. The goldrush brought a large number of immigrants to Australia, all of whom contributed their own cultural influences. It was the beginning of multiculturalism in Australia. The Chinese in particular converged on Australia, and resentment against the Asian nationalities was a contributing factor to the introduction of the White Australia Policy in the twentieth century. 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.

There were huge increases in the population. In 1851, Australia's population was 437,655. By the end of the gold rush, 1861, Australia's population had more than doubled and Victoria's, the site of the gold rush, had increased seven-fold. After the goldrush, many of the new towns shrank to just a fraction of their former size, resulting in ghost towns in many areas.

The wealth of the newly-formed state of Victoria caused rivalry with New South Wales, and indirectly led to the most tragic of explorations - that of Burke and Wills. The Victorian government, fired up with zeal, confidence and wealth, commissioned an enormous exploration party that was doomed to failure by its hasty preparation, interesting choice of leader, and the Victorian desire to be the first to cross Australia from south to north. These factors all had a part in the failure of the expedition and the deaths of Burke and Wills.

There was a new boom of Victorian architecture in cities such as Melbourne, and the richness of this architecture can still be seen today. Unfortunately, the bust that inevitably follows a boom contributed to the general deflation of prices from 1860-1900 which caused multiple depressions in Australia's economy.

There was a huge influx of people to the Victorian goldfields, but businessmen, tradesmen, labourers - the very backbone of Australia - together with many of the state's own administrators, abandoned their work. This threatened the state's infrastructure and administration: vital jobs had no-one to do them. Nonetheless, the newfound wealth meant that Britain no longer had any reason to withhold self-government. New rules, policies and legislation were implemented, giving Australia more of an understanding of how to draft future legislation and, indeed, its own constitution.

Because of the rivalry between Victoria and 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. Of course, there quite possibly wouldn't have been the need for a capital city were it not for the goldrush: Australia now had the confidence to "go it alone" - to break free from 'Mother Britain" and aim for independence, which it achieved with the federation of the states in 1901.

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.

Another way in which the gold rush shaped history was in the development of democracy. The Eureka Stockade was the 1854 miners' uprising on the goldfields of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Conditions on the Australian goldfields were harsh. The main source of discontent was the miner's licence, which cost a monthly fee of 30 shillings and permitted the holder to work a 3.6 metre square "claim". Licences had to be paid regardless of whether a digger's claim resulted in the finding of any gold. Frequent licence hunts, during which the miners were ordered to produce proof of their licences, added to the increasing unrest. Previous delegations for miners' rights had met with inaction from the Victorian government, so on 29 November 1854, the miners burned their licences in a mass display of resistance against the laws which controlled the miners. Following a massive licence hunt on November 30, Irish immigrant Peter Lalor was elected to lead the rebellion.

On December 1, the miners began to construct a wooden barricade, a stockade from which they planned to defend themselves against further licence arrests or other incursions by the authorities. At 3:00am on Sunday, 3 December 1854, 276 police and military personnel and several civilians stormed the stockade. It remains unclear which side fired first, but in the ensuing battle, 22 diggers and 5 troopers died.

Although the rebellion itself failed in its 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. Peter Lalor and another representative, John Basson Humffray, were elected for Ballarat. Later, Lalor was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria. For these reasons, the Eureka Stockade is regarded by many as the birthplace of Australian Democracy.

Answer 2

The discovery of gold in Australia led to a significant increase in population, as people from around the world flocked to the country in search of fortune during the gold rush era. This influx of people fueled economic growth, spurred infrastructure development, and contributed to the establishment of cities and towns across the continent. The wealth generated from gold mining also played a crucial role in shaping Australia's economy and contributed to its development as a modern nation.