HISTORY 2

28

The colonies of Australia in 1850 were regarded

as small British outposts. Squatters, shepherds,

stockmen and shearers lived in remote pastoral

areas. Ex-convicts struggled to overcome

poverty. Those people who chose to stay in the

towns worked long hours for low wages.

In 1851, an exciting decade began that changed

Australia as no other period has done. When gold

fever hit, thousands dropped whatever they were

doing and took off for the diggings in pursuit of

the dream of instant wealth.

With wealth came crime. Bushrangers were

the predators of the goldfields. From the time of

the first convict settlements, outlaws were an

unwelcome fact of life in Australia.

Historical knowledge and understanding

• Analyse how the gold rushes contributed to

Australia’s social, political and cultural

development.

• Analyse events such as the Eureka Stockade and

the actions of people, which resulted in

improvements in civil and political rights.

• Compare different perspectives on the gold

rushes, the Eureka Stockade and bushrangers,

and make links between historical and

contemporary issues.

Historical reasoning and interpretation

• Frame research questions and locate relevant

resources.

• Identify and evaluate primary and secondary

sources.

• Recognise that in history there are multiple

perspectives and partial explanations.

GOLD, BUSHRANGERS

AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

Chapter 2

Gold prospectors, George W. Lambert, 1907. This painting depicts prospectors and their families panning for gold in the 1850s.

1850 1860

1851: The colony of Victoria separates from New South Wales.Gold is discovered in NSW and Victoria.

1852: Peter Lalor becomes a gold miner.

1860: Australia’s population exceeds1 million.

1861: Miners riot and attack Chinese at Lambing Flat.

1853: Convict transportation to the east coast ends.

1855: Miner’s licence system is abolished. Peter Lalor enters politics.Ned Kelly is born.

1857: Males are granted the right to vote in Victoria.

1854: Gold miners and soldiers clash at Eureka Stockade.

1856: Britain grants responsiblegovernment to the east coast colonies.

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

29

alluvial gold: pieces of gold that have broken off larger deposits and been washed down into the mud and gravel of riverbeds

claim: section of land over which a miner staked his rights to mine, and for which he may have paid a licence fee

conservative: opposed to change

cradling: a process used to wash gold from sand or gravel in a box on rockers

Crown: the king or queen as the head of state

highwaymen: robbers on the highway, usually on horseback

House of Commons: the lower chamber of parliament in Great Britain

landlord: one who owns and leases land

Legislative Assembly: the lower chamber of parliament

Legislative Council: the upper chamber of parliament

manhood suffrage: the vote for men

panning: the washing process used to separate gold from gravel

representative government: representation of the will of the people in government

Sabbath: the biblical day of rest (Saturday for Jews, Sunday for Christians)

seat: the right to gain admission as a member of parliament

Selection Acts: government Act that allowed people to choose Crown land and pay for it over time

shackled: tied by the wrist or ankle

sly-grog shop: shop which sold alcohol illegally

Speaker: the presiding officer in the lower chamber of parliament

squatters: farmers who settled illegally on vacant Crown land

surveyor: one who determines the form and boundaries of land

tyranny: unrestricted power and abuse of authority

1870 1880

1863: Captain Thunderbolt becomes a bushranger.

1870: Wool is the colonies’ main export.Captain Thunderbolt is killed.

1871: Ned Kelly is imprisoned for horse stealing.

1878: The Kelly Gang kills three police at Stringybark Creek.An international exhibition showcases ‘Marvellous Melbourne’.

1880: The Kelly Gang is trapped in a siege at Glenrowan.Ned Kelly is hanged.

A timeline of the gold and bushranging era

HISTORY 2

30

2.1

The first written record of the sighting of gold inAustralia appeared in 1823, in the notebook of aroad surveyor, James O’Brien, who was workingnear Fish Creek in New South Wales. There werestories about gold being found in Australia fromthe earliest days of British settlement. In 1839, aPolish explorer named Paul Strzelecki declaredhe had found gold. In 1841, a clergyman namedReverend William Clarke showed GovernorGipps samples of gold he had found. Gipps isreported to have informed him ‘Put it away orwe’ll all have our throats cut’.

In the early days, the authorities were worriedthat if news got out of a gold find, it would bealmost impossible to control the convicts,especially if many guards deserted to join therush. They were also concerned that a gold rushwould cause a serious shortage of labour in thesettlements and on the colony’s farms.

Despite a number of Sydney Morning Heraldletters reporting gold finds during the 1840s, itwas not until 1851 that official recognition wasgiven to an Australian discovery. The announce-ment sparked great excitement and a rush to thegoldfields. Gold fever had hit Australia!

In January 1851, Edward Hargraves returned toSydney from the goldfields of California. In 1849,Hargraves had joined 2000 other young men wholeft Australia to seek their fortune in America.The gold of California had not made Hargravesrich, but he had learnt where and how to look forgold. In Sydney he met up with John Lister andthey set out for Bathurst. The prospectors fol-lowed the river, panning a few specks of gold

A convict named James Daly claimed that he

had found gold in August 1788. If this was true,

then the location of the gold deposit remained

his secret, as Daly was found guilty of stealing

and was executed in December 1788.

HISTORY

EDWARD HAMMOND HARGRAVES

from Summer Hill Creek. Hargraves hoped togain a government reward for this discovery andreturned to Sydney leaving John Lister and twomore colleagues, James and William Tom, contin-uing the search for gold.

On 2 May 1851, the Sydney Morning Heraldreported that ‘it is no longer any secret that goldhas been found in the earth in several places inthe western country. The fact was establishedon 12 February 1851, by Mr EH Hargraves’.Hargraves was rewarded with £10 000 and apension of £250 a year by the government. Hewas declared the ‘first practical discoverer of goldin New South Wales’. The Victorian Governmentalso granted him a reward of over £2000. Listerand the Tom brothers received £333 each fortheir part in the discovery. Within a few weeks,nearly 10 000 people travelled by stagecoach,horse and on foot to the goldfield that Hargravesnamed Ophir, after the biblical place of gold.

Mr E. H. Hargraves, the gold discoverer of Australia, 12 February 1851, returning the salute of the gold miners, painted by the artist TT Balcombe, June 1851

Source 2.1.1

GOLD FEVER

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

31

Edward Hargraves’ description of his discovery of gold (from Edward Hargraves, Australia and its Goldfields, H Ingram, 1855)

Extract from the Geelong Argus of 3 October 1851, on what happened when gold was found in Victoria

The sudden departure to New South Wales of somany workers caused great concern in the newlydeclared colony of Victoria. A group of concernedbusinessmen from the Port Phillip District offereda reward for a discovery in Victoria. By the end ofthe year, an Irish coach driver named JamesEsmond found gold at Clunes. Two months later,the richest alluvial gold field in the world wasfound at Ballarat. Deposits were also found atBendigo and Castlemaine. Melbourne and Geelongemptied and the ships in Port Phillip Bay weredeserted as people left in a rush of gold fever.

Map showing some of the goldfields in Victoria

Source 2.1.2

My guide went for water to drink, and, after making a hasty repast, I told him that we were now in the goldfields, and that gold was under his feet as he went to fetch the water for our dinner . . . I dug a panful of earth, which I washed in the water hole. The first trial produced a little piece of gold. ‘Here it is!’ I exclaimed; and then I washed five panfuls in succession, obtaining gold from all but one. ‘This’, I exclaimed to my guide, ‘is a memorable day in the history of New South Wales. I shall be a baronet, you will be knighted, and my old horse will be stuffed, put into a glass case, and sent to the British Museum!’

Source 2.1.3

The police force is handing in resignations daily; even the sergeants are leaving. The Customs House hands are off to the diggings; seamen are deserting their vessels; tradesmen and apprentices are gone — their masters are following them; contractors’ men have bolted and left large expensive jobs on their hands unfinished. What are the contractors to do? Why, follow their men, and off they go . . .

GOLD IN VICTORIA

River

Murray

Goldfield

Victoria

New South Wales

0 100 200 km

N Heathcote

Stawell

Maryborough BendigoSt Arnaud

Wedderburn

Beechworth

Chiltern

Ballarat

Ararat

Castlemaine

BlackwoodMelbourne

Source 2.1.4

A modern-day artist’s impression of diggers heading to the goldfields. Every available type of vehicle was used — from carts to wheelbarrows.

By 1852, about half of Victoria’s population wasat the diggings. They were joined by thousands ofpeople from New South Wales and Tasmania. By1855, the population of Victoria had grown largerthan New South Wales. There were never morethan 10 000 people on the New South Wales gold-fields at any one time. In Victoria, more than100 000 adult males were on the diggings. In thedecade between 1851 and 1861, the population ofVictoria grew from 97 000 to over half a million.

Gold was discovered at several places around thecontinent over the next 50 years. In Queensland, atGympie (1867), Charters Towers (1872) and MountMorgan (1882); in South Australia, at Tarcoola(1893); in Western Australia, at Mount Margaret(1885) and Coolgardie (1892); and at Pine Creek(1872) in the Northern Territory.

Understand

1. Who was credited with discovering gold in Australia?

2. Describe the impact of the discovery of gold on the colony.

3. What might happen if over half the men where you live suddenly left in search of their fortunes? List the consequences in order of impact.

Communicate

4. Imagine that the discovery of gold had been made public in 1823. Write an article for inclusion in a colonial newspaper describing what happened.

Use sources

5. With a partner, read the text and the evidence in the sources, then list the reactions of different people or groups to the discovery of gold in Australia.

Source 2.1.5

ON

THE CD-R

OM

TimeTrap

HISTORY 2

32

2.2

The news of gold spread rapidly to theoutside world and gave birth to a newAustralian image. The convict settle-ment was now a land of opportunity.After 1853, no more convicts were sentto the east coast of Australia. Migrantsnow came from many countries to jointhe quest for gold. During the last sixmonths of 1852, some 67 000 peoplearrived by ship in Port Phillip Bay.Throughout 1852 to 1854, fleets ofships loaded with migrants made theirway up Port Phillip Bay to Melbourneand Geelong. The majority of migrantscame from Britain and Ireland, butrich and poor also came to try theirluck from countries such as America,Germany, Poland, Italy and China.

An 1852 advertisement placed in the Illustrated London News

on 29 May 1852 by the British Emigration Office in London

Gold was found in many areas that had not beenpreviously settled. In a matter of weeks, sprawlingtowns sprang up from nothing. The lack of properroads didn’t stop the flow of new arrivals to the longchain of diggings on the western side of the GreatDividing Range. Miners hurried across the moun-tains, staked a claim on a tiny plot of land, erectedtents or huts and then lived where they worked. Itis estimated that 97 per cent of migrants who cameto Australia in search of gold made their way to thediggings on foot. They carried on their backs thetents, blankets, cooking utensils and basic toolsnecessary for starting life on the goldfields.

Source 2.2.1

The most eligible class of emigrants are married agricultural labourers, shepherds, or horsemen . . . and women of the working class . . . The next best class are married mechanics and artisans . . . but single men, if accompanying their parents, are required to pay £2 a head, and if not accompanying their parents, are required to pay £3 a head; and of the latter very few are taken, both because they are the most likely at once to resort to the goldfields, and because there is already . . . an excess of males in Australia . . .

STAKING A CLAIM

A typical Australian gold diggingEdwin Stocqueler, 1829–188?, Australian Gold Diggings, ca. 1855, oil on canvas, 70.5 × 90.3 cm, Rex Nan Kivell Collection

Gold fever was brought on by dreams of striking itrich and having an easier life. The reality in thetent cities was hard work and discomfort. Life onthe goldfields meant coping with intense heat anddust in summer, and the cold and mud of winter.Tents leaked, and streams were quickly contami-nated by sewage and mining waste. Thousands ofpeople on goldfields fell ill from diseases such aspneumonia, dysentery and typhoid fever. Therewere no hospitals and few doctors to help the sick.Poor hygiene, poor diets and poor health meantthat life on the goldfields was harsh.

Most diggers had mates and formed cooperativeparties of three to six. From dawn to dusk, thesemates shared the labour of picking and shovelling,panning and cradling. Diggers also looked aftereach other’s interests and shared the good fortuneif they found payable gold. When alluvial gold ranout, the miners dug deep shafts to find the goldlying beneath the ground. Small work partieswere gradually overtaken by large companies onall the main goldfields. The companies broughtmore secure employment for thousands of minersand the beginning of the goldfield towns.

HARDSHIP AND MATESHIP

AT THE DIGGINGS

Source 2.2.2

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

33

Different ways in which hopeful prospectors searched for gold

Puddling: Water was stirred intosoil in a container, and then

poured off. This process wasrepeated until the water poured

off was clear.

Panning: Soil was placed in a pan filled with water. As the pan was swirled around, mud and muddy water sloshed over the sides, leaving solid material at the bottom.

Sluicing: Water releasedthrough an opening in a

dammed creek wasdirected through a cradlecontaining grids to catch

different sized stones andpieces of gold.

Fossicking: Brushes made from fine twigs and hooks and knives were used to scratch soil away from areas where gold might be lying a few centimetres below.

A letter recounting the danger of life on the goldfields

Source 2.2.3

Source 2.2.4

I witnessed a sad accident this afternoon as I was returning to my work from dinner — it was in a hole close by us. The poor man was going down the hole — his mates had lowered him a short distance when the rope gave way and he fell a distance of 120 feet. There were two buckets running in the shaft — one running up whilst the other is going down — in falling he caught against the up-bucket and cut his lip completely off, knocking his jaws in at the same time and he must have fallen upon the bucket in which he was going down for his legs and the rest of his body was shattered to pieces — I saw them drag him out of the hole — the sight was sickening — such accidents occur almost daily.

From a letter by Edwin Highley.

Accidents were an everyday event on the diggings, as this 1856 Melbourne Punch advertisement shows.

At first the goldfields were a ‘man’s world’. But astime went on, families arrived because there wasmoney to be made from selling goods and servicesto the miners. Blacksmiths, tinsmiths, chemistsand doctors established businesses. By 1855, thebig gold towns such as Ballarat, Castlemaine andBendigo had their own theatres featuring artistsfrom Europe and America. On Saturday night, thedoors of theatres, dance halls and gambling houseswere open for diggers wanting a spending spree.Sunday was the day of rest when men repairedtheir equipment and their clothes, wrote lettershome and went to the sly-grog shop. Clergymenalso followed the first wave of diggers. It was notlong before the churches established some sort ofbuilding on the goldfield, and so there were somewho spent Sunday at church.

Source 2.2.5

LIFE AT THE DIGGINGS

HISTORY 2

34

Letter in Illustrated London News, 22 May 1852

Source 2.2.7

In my opinion this place is inevitably and irretrievably ruined . . . last night a statement was made that two men had just arrived from Gipp’s Land . . . that they had brought in £10 000 of gold, and there was a supply for the whole world . . . What is to be done for labour? Suppose 100 000 labourers came out here during the next year, will any of them remain in the city or farms, at a few shillings a week, when they can go to the goldfields and make £50 a day? . . . At the moment I cannot get a pair of boots

made or mended in Melbourne . . . The baker will not undertake to supply me regularly . . . I pay 5s a load for water and 30s for a single horse load of wood . . . the prices of all things . . . will never go down again, and here we shall be living in the most expensive place in the world . . . The merchant, the trader, wholesale and retail, will do very well . . . but it is the man with a settled, defined income who will suffer . . .

Letter in Illustrated London News, 22 May 1852.

The goldfields also attracted artists such asSamuel Gill. He visited many goldfields in Vic-toria, sketching what he saw. Samuel Gill’spaintings (an example is in source 2.2.6) provideone primary source of what life was like on theearly Australian goldfields.

McLaren’s boxing saloon, Main Road, Ballarat1854, Samuel Thomas Gill, 1818–1880, watercolour,

26.3 × 36.4 cm, Rex Nan Kivell Collection

The chores on Saturday afternoon and Sundaymorning were often related to cooking. Estab-lished farming communities were usually a longway from the goldfields, so basic provisions andfood had to be transported on bullock drays fromdistant towns. Each goldfield soon had a generalstore where prices were high and basic goods wereoften in very short supply. Australia’s farmerscould not supply the rapidly increasing popu-lation. The tea the diggers brewed was importedfrom China, the sugar came from the West Indiesand the beer they drank came mainly from Eng-land. Fresh fruit and vegetables were regarded asluxuries and were sold at highly inflated prices.

Source 2.2.6

Milk could not be found at any price. Average cityprices were doubled and trebled on the goldfields.In the gold rush town of Bendigo, the line of storesstraggled along the road for 15 kilometres.Tradespeople and storekeepers did not need to digfor gold to make their fortunes. On the diggingsthere was never any shortage of customers.

Today, many former goldfields have become verypopular tourist centres, such as the centre atSovereign Hill in Victoria. These places haveretained many of the original buildings, diggingshafts and mining artefacts. At such places,people can experience for a short while what itwas actually like to be a digger. Visitors can eventry their hand at looking for gold.

Tourists at the Sovereign Hill tourist centre, reliving thegold-diggings experiences

GOLDEN HERITAGE

Source 2.2.8

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

35

SKILLS essentials

Planning an essayGood essays are well planned. Here is an essay topic: ‘“A digger’s life on the Australian goldfields in the 1850s was extremely hard.” Discuss this statement, showing clearly whether you agree or disagree.’ A plan for a 600-word essay that supports this statement is shown below.

INTRODUCTION (50 words)Show that you understand what you’re being asked. Make a general statement about what life was like on the goldfields and the broad difficulties diggers faced. Focus on the key words in the question(e.g. ‘digger’s life’, ‘goldfields’, ‘extremely hard’).

PARAGRAPH 1 (50 words)Describe difficulties of getting to the goldfields. Mention inadequate transport and poor communications.

In this and every paragraph, start with a sentence that summarises what you plan to say in that paragraph; for example, ‘Before diggers even reached the goldfields, they faced considerable hardships.’ This is called a topic sentence. The remaining sentences provide details to back up your statement.

PARAGRAPH 2 (100 words)Describe the inadequate housing and lack of amenities.

PARAGRAPH 3 (50 words)Describe the health and safety risks.

PARAGRAPH 4 (50 words)Describe the difficulties of being separated from families, or of caring and providing for families if they were on the goldfields.

PARAGRAPH 5 (100 words)

Describe the risks to life and body due to violence.

Where appropriate, include direct quotations from appropriate sources with acknowledgements(e.g. Easton 2004, p. 62).

LAST PARAGRAPH (100 words)

Discuss points that don’t support your argument. You might describe the friendships of many diggers and the excitement of those who found gold. Your first sentence might be: ‘Although diggers faced great hardships, there were some good times.’ Finish this paragraph by stating that these factors were far outweighed by the difficulties, and why.

This paragraph shows the examiner that you do appreciate that there is another side to the argument, and can defend your point of view.

CONCLUSION (100 words)

Briefly summarise the points you have made in your essay. In this instance, you will clearly state that you agree with the statement, and (in general terms) why.

You must not introduce any new material in a conclusion.

PREPARE AN ESSAY PLAN ON THE FOLLOWING TOPIC:‘When gold was first discovered in Australia, people were prepared to take great risks and endure enormous hardships in the hope of finding gold.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Think1. How did people make their way to the goldfields

and where did they come from?2. List the difficulties people would have faced in

daily life on the diggings.3. Consider the statement that the emergence of the

mining companies on the goldfields created more security for miners. Explain what advantages the companies could have offered the diggers.

Use sources4. Look closely at the image sources to identify the

range of tools and mining methods used on a goldfield, then design an information brochure for the inexperienced digger.

5. Examine the sources and then write a response to the statement: ‘Gold transformed Australia into a land of opportunity’.

Design and create6. Use computer graphics to design a board game

based on a ‘snakes and ladders’ model that expresses the opportunities and challenges of life at the diggings.

Use ICT7. To find out more about the gold rush in Australia,

visit the website for this book and click on the Gold Discovery weblink for this chapter (see ‘Weblinks’, page vii).

Worksheets

2.1 Letter from the goldfields

ICT

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HISTORY 2

36

2.3

According to English law, all goldfound in Australia belonged to theCrown. This law enabled the govern-ment to control mining on the gold-fields. At this time, the governmentsof Victoria and New South Walesconsisted of a governor and a bodycalled the Legislative Assembly. Thegovernor declared that even goldfound on private property belonged tothe Crown. Licences were issued in anattempt to slow down the movement ofpeople to the goldfields. The licencewas intended to tax those miners whowere lucky enough to find gold, andpush the rest back to their jobs in thecities and on farms. Licences providedfunds to administer the goldfields,build roads, provide postal servicesand employ police to maintain law andorder.

The issuing of licences is illustrated in this engraving.

A licence bought the right to legally make aclaim on a small area of ground. In 1853, this areawas approximately four metres square. In theearly days of the rush, every digger was requiredto pay thirty shillings, a month in advance, fortheir licence. Women were not required to pur-chase a licence. Diggers who were not British paid

Source 2.3.1

double the licence fee. In 1854, there were morethan 10 000 men working the Ballarat goldfields.Gold was increasingly hard to find and so manydiggers were very poor. The licence fee had to bepaid whether a digger found gold or not. Theminers saw the licence as an unfair tax on peoplewho could not afford it. They also argued that itwas an attack on their freedom.

One of the biggest problems with licences was theway they were checked. ‘Digger hunt’ was thename given to the manner in which mountedpolice and soldiers went through the goldfieldshounding miners for their licences. Checks couldoccur two or three times a day. Thousands ofminers were forced to dodge the police becausethey could not afford to pay. If a digger did not pro-duce his licence, the punishment was harsh. Dig-gers could be marched along the road shackled

THE DIGGER HUNT

THE MINERS’

LICENCE

Source 2.3.2

A Victorian gold licence, 1853

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

37

together like convict chain gangs, or tethered totrees, poked with bayonets and put into filthy cellsin the lockup. It was common for a digger to returnto his claim only to find that his hut and equip-ment had been destroyed. The police in Victoriadeveloped a particularly brutal reputation. Thespecial force of armed police were known as ‘Joes’,after the Governor Joseph La Trobe. These menwere often recruited from the ranks of Tasmanianex-convicts and conducted their digger hunts onhorseback with swords drawn. The mounted policewere accused of bribery and corruption. If a minerwas found guilty of not paying for his licence, hewas immediately fined £5. The policeman whocarried out the arrest was rewarded with half ofthe fine. In 1854, over 1000 police checked thegoldfields at least twice a week. In that year, pres-sure on the government resulted in the Victorianlicence being reduced to 40 shillings, payable everythree months. It was an improvement, but resent-ment still simmered.

The diggers’ anger about the licence continued,sparking demands for the right to elect membersto parliament. The cry of ‘no taxation withoutrepresentation’ was raised. The governmentblamed miners who came from countries such asIreland and Germany for stirring up protestors onthe goldfields. The government feared that pol-itical unrest and revolution, which had become afeature of life in nineteenth-century Europe,might spill onto the goldfields of Australia.

The First Commissioner Hardy collecting licences and diggers evading

ca. 1852, George Lacy, ca. 1816–1878?, drawing: pen and wash, 35.7 × 52.8 cm, Rex Nan Kivell Collection

Source 2.3.3

Report on the licence hunt by Raffaello Carboni, 1855 (from R Carboni, The Eureka Stockade, Melbourne, 1855)

Understand1. According to the law, to whom did all gold found

in Australia belong?2. What was the intention of the mining licence

and why was it regarded as unfair by theminers?

3. What was a ‘digger hunt’?

Think4. The statement ‘no taxation without

representation’ was heard on the goldfields. Brainstorm what the statement meant, and why it can now be regarded as such an important and influential idea.

Communicate5. Consider what aspect of the ‘digger hunt’

was the worst and then write a letter to Governor Joseph La Trobe explaining how the system could be reformed.

Use sources6. From your observation of source 2.3.1,

explain how the manner in which the licences were issued could have added to the resentment.

7. Look carefully at source 2.3.2.(a) How much did the licence cost?(b) How long did it last?(c) What condition made it important

not to lose the licence?

Dig deeper8. Read Raffaello Carboni’s account of the

‘digger hunt’ and then use the internet to research and write his brief biography. Using your biographical information to

provide depth of understanding, explain why Carboni would have been so opposed to the authorities on the goldfields.

Source 2.3.4

. . . the troopers were despatched like bloodhounds, in all directions, to beat the bush; and the traps who had a more confined scent, creeped and crawled among the holes, and sneaked into the sly-grog tents round about, in search of the swarming unlicensed game. In a word, it was a regular hunt. Anyone who in Old England went fox-hunting, can understand pretty well, the detestable sport we had then on the goldfields of Victoria. Did any trooper succeed in catching any of the ‘vagabonds’ in the bush, he would by the threat of his sword, confine him round a big gum-tree . . .

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HISTORY 2

38

2.4

The discovery of gold brought people from manydifferent countries to Australia. With them camenew cultural backgrounds, skills and ideas. Onemigrant who came to try his luck was Peter Lalor.

Peter Lalor was born in Queens County,Ireland, in 1827. Lalor’s father had been involvedin politics and had held a seat in the House of

Commons. As a boy growing up in Ireland, PeterLalor heard stories about Irish oppression at thehands of the British and also witnessed Britishindifference to Irish suffering during the potatofamine of 1846–47. Lalor was not one of the down-trodden. He was well-educated and had trained asa civil engineer at Trinity College in Dublin. Hearrived in Australia in 1852 with his brotherRichard and began work on the construction of theMelbourne–Geelong railway line. Like so manyother hopeful young men of his generation hejoined the gold rush. He began mining in theOvens Valley, and then made his way to theBallarat goldfields.

At Ballarat, the gold mines were run in an incom-petent and brutal manner. The miners’ discontentwith the administration, unfair policing and harshtaxation in Ballarat led to rebellion. Peter Lalorbecame involved with the Ballarat Reform Leagueand was elected leader of the protesting miners.Their protest became an armed uprising that hasbecome known as the Eureka Stockade Rebellion(discussed further on pages 40–3). The rebellionhas sometimes been regarded as one of the mostsignificant events in the development of Australia’sdemocracy. Lalor was badly wounded in the rebel-lion, escaped and hid in the house of a priest. It washere that his wounded left arm was amputated.When a warrant was issued for his arrest and areward of £200 was offered for information leadingto his arrest, Lalor became a fugitive from the law.He was hidden by his supporters and nursed backto health by a schoolteacher named Alicia Dunn. In1854, Lalor and Alicia married and he came out ofhiding because juries acquitted other minersinvolved in the Eureka Stockade of the charge oftreason. When the government realised no jurycould be found to convict the miners, the rewardsoffered for Lalor and others were withdrawn.

LEADING THE PROTEST

Portrait of Peter Lalor, the Eureka Stockade leader, by Ludwig Becker (1856)

The reward poster for Peter Lalor and his colleague, George Black

Source 2.4.1

Source 2.4.2

A SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL:

PETER LALOR

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

39

Extract from Peter Lalor’s letter published in the Argus,10 April 1885, explaining the actions and objectives of the miners at the Eureka Stockade

When Peter Lalor came out of hiding he wasgranted a pardon. Within a year, Lalor enteredVictorian political life. After a government investi-gation into the conditions on the Victorian gold-fields, a recommendation was made to enlarge theLegislative Council to include representativesfrom the goldfields. In 1855, Lalor was electedunopposed as the representative of the people ofBallarat. In 1856, the first parliament under thenew Victorian constitution was elected. Lalor waselected to the Legislative Assembly representingNorth Grenville, a Ballarat seat. He held the seatuntil 1859, when he won the seat of South Grant,which he held for the rest of his political life.Despite his Irish background, Lalor was aconservative politician who held a wide range ofpolitical positions such as postmaster-general andminister for Trade and Customs in the ministry ofSir Graham Berry.

Lalor’s interests spread beyond political life. By1873, this champion of miners’ rights was a directorof the Lothair mining company. Rather than beingone of the oppressed he was now regarded by manyminers as an oppressor. To ensure big profits, theLothair miners were only allowed Saturday nightto Sunday evening off work. The miners asked fora longer weekend, from 3 pm Saturday to 8 amMonday. When the company refused, the minerswent on strike. After 14 weeks, Peter Lalor tried tobreak the strike by employing Chinese miners fromBallarat. An angry crowd of miners and their fam-ilies stopped the coaches carrying the Chinese andforced them back to Ballarat. Lalor used the indus-trious Chinese miners again in 1875 to breakminers’ strikes in Queensland.

The most important political post Lalor held wasfrom 1870 to 1877, when he was appointedSpeaker of the Legislative Assembly. Despitefurious opposition from some members of parlia-ment to the appointment, Lalor was elected

Source 2.4.3

From the steps now being taken by the Government, I have no doubt but that we shall have many measures of useful reform carried into effect. Why were not these measures adopted before? Why did not the Government take steps to alter the land system, to amend the mode of collecting the gold revenue, and to place the administration of justice in the hands of honest men before this bloody tragedy took place?

POLITICS AND POWER

Speaker with the support of the Premier, MrService. The Premier defended Lalor against thosewho could not forgive him for having once ‘madewar against Our Sovereign Lady the Queen’. Illnessfinally forced Lalor’s retirement from the Speaker’sposition and he was granted a pension of £4000.

An 1893 portrait of Peter Lalor in his Speaker’s wig and gown

After the death of both his only daughter andhis wife in 1887, Peter Lalor took leave from theVictorian Parliament and travelled to SanFrancisco. He died at the home of his son, Joseph,in 1889. A federal electorate, called the Division ofLalor, and the north Melbourne suburb of Lalorare named after this Eureka rebel who becameone of Victoria’s most conservative and colourfulpoliticians.

Understand1. What was Peter Lalor’s family and childhood

background?2. How was Lalor involved in the events

surrounding the Eureka Stockade?3. Outline the role of Lalor in Australian politics.

Use sources4. Imagine you have been given the task of

designing a promotional poster for a documentary made on the life of Peter Lalor. Use desktop publishing and the sources to help in creating your poster.

Design and create5. How would the miners have viewed Peter Lalor’s

change of career in 1855? Draw a political cartoon expressing your idea.

Source 2.4.4

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2.5

According to Australian folklore, one of the mostimportant events in the history of Australiandemocracy occurred on the Ballarat goldfields in1854. The Eureka Stockade, as it came to beknown, was a fierce dawn battle that lasted forabout 20 minutes. This battle, between defiantdiggers and police troopers, has become anenduring symbol of the Australian battlerfighting for freedom from oppression. The battlecry of the miners, ‘No taxation without represen-tation’, expressed the fight for democratic idealsin Australia.

There were grievances on the goldfields. On manyoccasions the miners threatened rebellion againstthe hated licence fee and the way it was policed.Miners believed government officials were corruptand that money collected from the goldfields wasnot being spent on improving conditions forminers, or making access to the gold easier. By1854, alluvial gold was harder to find and povertywas growing on the goldfields. The remaining golddeposits lay far beneath the surface, so diggerscombined their resources, often working togetherfor months at a time to sink the shafts needed toget to the gold.

Ellen Clacy’s observations of life on the goldfields in the 1850s

REPRESSION AND REBELLION

Source 2.5.1

‘But night at the diggings is the characteristic time: murder here — murder there — revolvers cracking — blunderbusses bombing — rifles going off — balls whistling — one man groaning with a broken leg . . . Here is one man grumbling because he has brought his wife with him, another ditto because he had left his behind, or sold her for an ounce of gold or a bottle of rum. Donnybrook Fair is not to be compared to an evening at Bendigo.

Success at the diggings is like drawing lottery tickets — the blanks far outnumber the prizes; still, with good health, strength, and above all perseverance, it is strange if a digger does not in the end reap a reward for his labour. Meanwhile he must endure almost incredible hardships . . .’

From E Clacy, A Lady’s Visit to the Gold Diggings ofAustralia in 1852–53.

Large numbers of Irish immigrants came tothe goldfields. Many had fought againsttyranny in their homeland, and they came toAustralia in search of fortune and freedom. Tothe Irish miners, the Victorian Government rep-resented the same sort of repression they hadexperienced in Ireland under the rule of theEnglish. Much Irish land was owned byabsentee English landlords, who evicted Irishtenants if they could not pay their rents. TheIrish people that came to Australia werepredominantly Catholics, who bitterly resenteddiscrimination against them and their faith. InIreland, they were not allowed to hold publicoffice or establish Catholic schools.

The spark that caused the outbreak of violenceon the goldfields occurred on 8 October 1854. Awell-liked miner, James Scobie, was bashed todeath at the Eureka Hotel. Scobie had arguedwith the hotel’s owner, James Bentley, an ex-convict. Bentley was found not guilty of thecrime and many miners believed Bentley was ‘letoff ’ for earlier favours he had done for the police.This confirmed the corruption the miners sus-pected. Believing that justice had not been done,the diggers held a protest meeting and burnt thehotel to the ground. Those believed responsiblefor the fire were arrested and sent to Melbournefor trial. The remaining miners of Ballaratrebelled.

A meeting of the miners was called, and The Bal-larat Reform League was formed to press for theabolition of the licence fees and the release of thehotel burners. The meeting passed a resolution‘that it is the inalienable right of every citizen tohave a voice in making the laws he is called on toobey’. A flag was also unfurled as a symbol ofsolidarity — it featured the ‘Southern Cross’shown as white stars on a blue background (seesource 2.5.2). It was designed by Captain HenryRoss, a Canadian miner. Hundreds of minersthen burnt their licences and demanded a rangeof reforms, including manhood suffrage (theright of all men to vote) and reform of theadministration of the goldfields.

HAVING A VOICE

THE EUREKA STOCKADE

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

41

Taking the reform league oath meant swearing allegiance to the Southern Cross flag.

Authority over the goldfields was held by theGold Commissioner, Robert Rede. CommissionerRede rejected the miners’ demands andincreased the number of police on the goldfields.On 27 November, a delegation of miners went toMelbourne to meet the Governor, Sir CharlesHotham. Governor Hotham refused to release themen being held over the hotel burning and senttroop reinforcements to Ballarat. By 30 November,when another licence hunt was ordered, temperswere ready to snap. A troop of mounted and footpolice, with swords drawn and bayonets fixed,challenged miners for their licences. Peter Lalor,the leader of the Reform League, argued that theminers should use physical force when necessaryin the fight against licence hunts and officialharassment. The miners retaliated against thelatest hunt by throwing stones and firing shots.Licences were burnt again and the diggers sworeallegiance to the Southern Cross flag. Thefollowing day more than 1000 diggers armedthemselves with makeshift weapons and barri-caded themselves behind a flimsy, woodenstockade at Eureka. Most returned to theirfamilies on Saturday night leaving less than200 miners at the stockade, because nobodybelieved that military forces would attack on theSabbath, Sunday.

Source 2.5.2 At 3 am, on Sunday 3 December 1854, a forceof about 300 soldiers attacked the EurekaStockade. In the following 20 minutes, oneofficer, four soldiers and about 30 diggers losttheir lives in the battle. One hundred and four-teen diggers were arrested and marched off to agovernment camp. Commissioner Rede was backin charge and armed resistance against the gov-ernment on the goldfields was over.

An undated watercolour and chalk artwork by Norman Lindsay shows Peter Lalor on the night of the Eureka Stockade

Peter Lalor’s account of the attack on the Eureka Stockade

Source 2.5.3

Source 2.5.4

About three o’clock on Sunday morning the alarm was given that ‘the enemy’ was advancing, and I believe that one or two signal shots were fired by our sentries. On discovering the smallness of our numbers, we would have retreated, but it was then too late, as almost immediately the military poured in one or two volleys of musketry, which was a plain intimation that we must sell our lives as dearly as we could.

HISTORY 2

42

Report from Governor Hotham on the miners’ grievances and the Eureka Stockade

The Eureka Stockade was a defeat for the diggers,but political change did come. Within one year,nearly all of the reforms the diggers had asked forwere agreed to. Newspaper reports condemned thesoldiers’ brutality and the waste of human life.Public support swung behind the miners. Crowdsgathered and cheered outside the courthouseswhen juries did not convict the 13 ringleaderstried for treason. The government enquiry thatinvestigated the events surrounding the EurekaStockade was scathing in its evaluation of the

administration of the goldfields. In 1855, thelicence was abolished and replaced by a miner’sright costing £1 per year. The miner’s right alsoentitled the holder to vote. This reform establishedmanhood suffrage. Any man willing to spend £1could now gain the vote. Two years later, all adultmales in Victoria were granted the right to vote inelections of the Legislative Assembly.

The 150th anniversary of the Eureka Stockadewas commemorated on 3 December 2004. Thereare many interpretations of this battle and thereal significance of events at Eureka continues tobe a source of historical debate. The diggers atEureka became a symbol of the fight for democ-racy in Australia. The events have been repre-sented as a rebellion of free men against tyranny,workers against the privileged ruling class, freeenterprise against unjust taxation. The truthmay be that democratic reform and the battlefor representative government was not wonthrough the actions of a few diggers, who took uparms against the government for their ownfinancial gain. As the secretary of the BallaratReform League, John Humffray, said to therebels at Eureka, ‘Put down your guns mates.The government is more afraid of you with anewspaper in your hand than a revolver’.

Source 2.5.5

The conduct of the insurgents [rebels] is the less to be upheld, because they were aware that a commission had been named, composed of gentlemen favourable to the mining interests, to inquire into the whole administration of law on the goldfields, but instead of waiting for the report, they flew to arms, because I refused to release the three prisoners who had been convicted of taking part in burning the Eureka Hotel.

VICTORY IN DEFEAT

Painting of the Eureka Stockade, Ballarat, 1854, titled The Early Hours of Sunday 3 December, 1854

Source 2.5.6

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

43

Photograph of the dawn service at Ballarat, 3 December 2004, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade

Source 2.5.7

By the 1890s, the movement for Federation wasunderway. The Australian boast was that a newnation had been forged, free of grinding povertyand class privilege. ‘Eureka’ became the rallyingcry for Federation and Australian nationhood. TheAmerican author, Mark Twain, visited the Vic-torian goldfields in 1895 and expressed the legendof Eureka that is fixed in Australian popular his-tory: ‘I think it may be called the finest thing inAustralian history. It was a revolution — small insize, but great politically; it was a strike for lib-erty, a struggle for principle, a stand againstoppression. It is another example of a victory wonby a lost battle. It adds an honourable page to his-tory: the people know it and are proud of it. Theykeep green the memory of the men who fell at theEureka Stockade’.

Understand

1. List the grievances the goldminers had and the immediate causes of the Eureka incident.

2. What were the aims of the Ballarat Reform League?

3. What happened at the Eureka Stockade battle?4. In one paragraph, explain the outcome of the

battle at the Eureka Stockade.

Use sources

5. Imagine you are one of the miners featured in source 2.5.2. Take into consideration the

description of life on the goldfields given in source 2.5.1, and then write a letter to Governor Hotham explaining why you joined the Ballarat Reform League and swore your allegiance to the Southern Cross flag.

6. Examine the scene in source 2.5.3 and read source 2.5.4. Write a description of the events from the point of view of an ordinary soldier sent to maintain law and order on the diggings.

Teamwork

7. In small groups, examine the range of reforms demanded by the miners at Eureka. Discuss and then identify the reforms that remain important principles of our modern system of government.

8. In groups, roleplay a discussion between the personalities depicted in the sources. Your roleplay should address what motivated the miners and the government at Eureka.

Communicate

9. Conduct a class debate: ‘Eureka: a fight for democracy or an attack on law and order?’.

Design and create

10. There have been official commemorations to mark events at Eureka. Imagine you have been given the task of designing a memorial to Eureka and all it stands for in Australian history. Draw your concept and write the official dedication that will appear on the memorial.

Worksheets

2.2 The sounds of Eureka

HISTORY 2

44

2.6

Miners who came from the Guangzhou region ofsouthern China called the Australian goldfieldsTsin Chin Shan. It meant ‘the new goldfields’.The Chinese were often resented and distrusted.They looked different, with their long pigtails,wooden-soled shoes and wide-brimmed straw hats.They ate different food, had different customs andspoke Cantonese, a very different language. TheChinese carried everything to the goldfields acrosstheir shoulders on long bamboo poles.

Chinese on the way to the goldfields. Off to the Diggings — Flemington Near Melbourne (Reproduced from How to Farm and Settle in Australia by Samuel Charles Brees)

Letter from a miner, Antoine Fauchery, on Chinese miners

Source 2.6.1

Source 2.6.2

They lived in their own camps often quite isolated from those of Europeans. In many cases [Lambing Flat area] they were confined to certain areas by the local police and so contact with other miners was limited. There were very few Chinese women in these camps. There were 8 female among 24 000 males in Victoria in 1861. They built their own temples [joss houses] and stores and organised their own entertainment.

They were described as being ‘strong, industrious, patient, they work slowly perhaps but methodically, never stopping and never worrying anybody at the mines . . . preferring to work on poor deposits that give moderate but regular results’.

Antoine Fauchery, Letters from a Miner in Australia,Georgian House, Melbourne, 1965.

Report from the Victorian Legislative Council, 1856–57

The Chinese were amongst the first visitors toAustralia. It is believed that Chinese sailorslanded on the north coast of Australia in the earlyfifteenth century. After white settlers arrived inAustralia, some Chinese worked on farms asshepherds, station hands, cooks and gardeners.It is estimated that 2000 Chinese were livingin Victoria in 1850. By 1860, there were over40 000 Chinese miners in Victoria alone. Gravelheaps, streams and mines abandoned by theEuropean miners yielded small amounts of goldfor the hardworking and patient Chinese.

In an attempt to keep the Chinese and Euro-pean communities apart on the goldfields, asystem of Chinese ‘protectorates’ was set up.Seven Chinese villages were established atBendigo, with several at other goldfields. Tea-houses, restaurants, doctors and shops cateredfor the Chinese community. As gold becameharder to mine, European intolerance of theChinese increased and from 1854 onwards spor-adic clashes occurred. The Victorian Governmentdecided to introduce a policy of official restric-tion, which required the Chinese to pay a fee of£10 when they entered Victoria. The Chinesedodged the tax by arriving in South Australiaand then walking to the goldfields. When this taxfailed to deter the Chinese, the governmentimposed another tax. The Chinese were requiredto pay a residence fee of £1 every month; thiswas increased to £6 in 1858.

European resentment against the Chineseflared into violence in 1857. A group of Europeanminers burned the tents and possessions of a partyof Chinese miners who were walking to Bendigo.

Source 2.6.3

Ninety-nine-hundredths of their race are pagans, and addicted to vices of a greatly immoral character. They feel bound to state that the presence of such a large number of their class in the midst of our great centres of population must necessarily have a most destructive effect upon that portion of the rising generation with which they most frequently come in contact.

Victorian Legislative Council, Report of the SelectCommittee on Chinese Immigration, Votes and Proceedings,

1856–57, pp. 853–4.

THE CHINESE AT

THE ‘NEW GOLDFIELDS’

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

45

In 1861, at Lambing Flat in New South Wales, ariot against the Chinese required police, artilleryand sailors to restore order. One thousand menarmed with weapons such as pick-handles andwhips formed a line and marched to the Chineseminers’ camp. The Chinese were insulted, brutallyattacked and driven from the goldfield.

Lambing Flat riots, 1861

Most Chinese eventually returned to their vil-lages in China. Nineteenth-century Chineseimmigrants usually shared a belief that it wastheir duty to return to ‘the flowery land’, wheretheir ancestors were buried. By 1881, there wereonly 12 000 Chinese left in Victoria. The Chinesewho did remain in Australia after the 1850s goldrush became farm workers, merchants, shop-keepers and carpenters. One of the most highlyrespected people in Sydney in the 1890s was aChinese immigrant called Quong Tart. He cameto Australia in 1859 when he was nine years old,eventually became a businessman and a mine-owner, married a European woman and became aprominent figure in Sydney. Quong Tart pro-moted Australian business in China, gave gener-ously to charities and established a number ofphilanthropic organisations. He was committedto tolerance and building understanding betweenthe Chinese and Australian communities. In1902, Quong Tart was brutally assaulted and in1903 died from his injuries. Grief and outragewere expressed in Sydney newspapers, and therewas widespread recognition of his contribution toAustralia.

Source 2.6.4

QUONG TART

A photograph of Quong Tart and his wife

Understand1. What attitude did many diggers have to the

Chinese on the goldfields?2. How did the Victorian Government officially

restrict the number of Chinese on the goldfields?3. What happened at Lambing Flat in 1861?4. Who was Quong Tart? Why is he remembered?5. Explain what you think would have worried the

European diggers most about the Chinese.

Communicate6. Put yourself in the position of the Chinese

diggers on the goldfields. As their representative, compose and present a speech to the Ballarat Reform League explaining your difficulties and the reforms you would like to see.

Teamwork7. In small groups, research the involvement of the

Chinese on the goldfields. Create a series of web pages showing:• the nature of the work they carried out• features of the Chinese culture that caused

suspicion and resentment in the other miners• incidents of racial tension, such as riots• treatment of the problems by the authorities.

Worksheets

2.3 Chinese diary

Source 2.6.5

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HISTORY 2

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2.7

The first bushrangers were called ‘convict bolters’because they were escaped convicts who robbed inorder to stay alive. By the 1830s, there were somany bushrangers that the government passed aspecial Act to help the police to catch them. Anyonesuspected of being an escaped convict could bearrested. Free settlers resented the BushrangingAct because they had difficulty proving their inno-cence and often found themselves apprehended bythe law despite having committed no crime.

The injustice of the Bushranging Act (1830) as described by a free settler

The gold fever that drove thousands to the dig-gings was accompanied by an increase in thenumber of robbers, highwaymen and tricksters.Crime became the curse of the gold rush with themost feared gangs working on the roads leadingfrom the richest goldfields. From these tumul-tuous times came a new group of bushrangers,who were mostly young freeborn men that hadgrown up in the bush. Stagecoaches transportinglarge quantities of gold, and passengers with

Source 2.7.1

. . . In travelling through the upper part of the Hunter I stopped a few days at one of the principal farms. During dinner the first day, the farm-constable arrested a traveller on suspicion of being a bushranger, and put him in confinement in a private lock-up, built on the farm. The man was kept there several days before any magistrate sat at the adjacent court to hear cases; and it then turned out that the man had worked for that gentleman some years before, and who recognised him and discharged him. The poor fellow said he had come free to the colony twelve or thirteen years before, and was generally arrested twice every year under the Bushranging Act. He had made application in one quarter and another for some protective document, till he was quite tired and had quite given it up . . .

. . . Free men do not like being continually called upon by prisoner constables to ‘show their freedom’ and emigrants very often have nothing to show, while at the same time their bare word will not go for a straw; and thus, after going a couple of hundred miles up the country for work, they may be marched back in handcuffs, and eventually turned adrift in Sydney without a penny in their pockets. At the same time, if it has been regularly done under ‘The Bushranging Act’, there is no redress.

money, along lonely Australian roads temptedmany to a life of bushranging. Struggling farmersoften sheltered and supported bushrangersbecause bailing up the gold escorts and robbingwealthy passengers was seen as a strike againstauthority. The passing of information to bush-rangers became known as the ‘bush telegraph’.

Bailed up1895–1927, Tom Roberts, oil on canvas, 134.5 × 182.2 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, photo: Ray Woddbury for AGNSW

The third group of bushrangers were the boldyoung men of the 1860s, the period after theSelection Acts were passed. They were known as‘the wild colonial boys’. It was one of the colonialboys, Captain Thunderbolt, who evaded police cap-ture for the longest time. Captain Thunderboltwas born in the 1830s in New South Wales, andwas named Frederick Wordsworth Ward. He wasone of eleven children born to convicts Michael andSophia Ward. When they gained their freedom, theWards moved the family to the Maitland areawhere Fred became a skilled horse trainer. By the1850s, however, he was imprisoned for horsestealing and sentenced to hard labour at theinfamous Cockatoo Island prison, one of the worstexamples of the colony’s barbaric convict system.

Source 2.7.2

THE WILD COLONIAL BOYS

BUSHRANGERS AND THEQUEST FOR GOLD

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

47

In 1863, he escaped by swimming across SydneyHarbour and began a career as a bushranger. Hestole horses and bailed up coaches, and because hewas a champion horseman, he continually escapedthe mounted police, bounty hunters and Abor-iginal trackers.

Captain Thunderbolt and the German band (from George E Boxall, History of the Australian Bushrangers, Rigby, 1899)

Ward’s freedom was also attributed to the helphe received from the ‘Captain’s lady’, Mary AnnBugg. Mary Ann was the daughter of a convict,James Bugg, and his Aboriginal wife, Elizabeth. Asa young girl, Mary Ann was taught bushcraft skillsby her mother and she was also well educated ata boarding school in Sydney. Mary Ann marriedThunderbolt in the early 1860s and they had fourchildren. Legend has it that Mary Ann was skilledat finding food and shelter in difficult terrain. Shealso made good use of the bush telegraph, goingfrequently into town undetected to obtain suppliesand information. A blanket left hanging on aclothesline was a signal that the police weresearching for Thunderbolt in the local area. In anera when women did not dress for country life, itwas reported that she wore the Wellington bootsand moleskin trousers of a stockman, and wasseen riding her horse astride and not side-saddle.

Mary Ann died in 1868, shortly after givingbirth to her fourth child. In May 1870, Thunder-bolt was shot and killed during a highway robberynear the town of Uralla. Thunderbolt’s image as ahero, rather than as a horse and gold thief, grewafter his death. His grave in the Uralla cemeteryhas become a tourist attraction and a sculpturecommemorating Thunderbolt now stands in themain street.

Source 2.7.3

One of the stories told about Ward [Captain Thunderbolt] was that he stuck up a German band at Goonoo Goonoo Gap, and made the Teutons play for him, besides giving him their money. The Germans pleaded hard. They said they were only poor men, and that their wives and children would suffer if they were robbed. Thunderbolt told them that he must have money. He was waiting for the principal winner at the Tamworth Races, he added, and he promised that if he caught him he would return the Germans their money. He took down their names and addresses.

Notwithstanding this the Germans departed very sorrowful. They never expected to see their money again. Nevertheless, on their arrival at their home in Warwick, Queensland, they found a Post Office Order for £20 awaiting them. It was surmised, therefore, that Thunderbolt had captured the winner.

The legend that Captain Thunderbolt becameexpresses the significance that bushrangers haveto the Australian story. Bushrangers were oftenregarded as victims of circumstance. Australianswho struggled to earn a living in the goldfieldsand in the bush sympathised and identified withthem. Their independence and defiance wasromanticised in a new country that was carvingout an image for itself.

Capture of Thunderbolt, near Uralla, a lithograph by Constable Walker, Illustrated Sydney News, 1870

Think1. Explain what periods in Australian nineteenth-

century history corresponded with the three different groups of bushrangers.

2. Bushrangers were criminals. Why do you think they have so often been remembered as the heroes of the colonial past?

Use sources3. Read source 2.7.1. How would the Bushranging

Act have affected the attitudes and actions of free settlers?

4. Using source 2.7.2, explain why the coaches were such an easy target for gangs of bushrangers.

Teamwork5. In groups, roleplay for the class a prepared script

of the hold-up of a coach by bushrangers.

Communicate6. Many stories, songs and poems were written about

bushrangers (see page 56). Using the sources, and your own research, write a song or poem expressing a story from our bushranger past.

Worksheets

2.4 Interview a bushranger

Source 2.7.4

HISTORY 2

48

2.8

Murderer and horse thief, or Aus-tralian hero? The life and death ofNed Kelly can be seen as a story ofindomitable courage in the face ofpersecution, or a predictable end to alifetime of crime and violence. NedKelly became our most famous folkhero and continues to fascinate us.Australian artist Sidney Nolan,playwright Douglas Stewart, andauthor Peter Carey, have all depictedhis life through their art forms. MickJagger, lead singer of the RollingStones, and Heath Ledger playedhim in movies.

(Edward) Ned Kelly was the son of anIrishman who had been transported to Australiafor stealing pigs. Ned’s father, ‘Red’ Kelly, hadarrived in Tasmania in 1841. His mother, Ellen,was also from Ireland but came as a freemigrant. Ned Kelly was born at Beveridge, Vic-toria, in 1855. He grew up in the Wangaratta–Beechworth area in a family that was constantlyin trouble with the law, resented authority andstruggled for money. In 1866, Red Kelly diedafter being charged with cattle stealing. EllenKelly was left in poverty and with the responsi-bility of raising her eight children. She movedher family to a small property near Greta, innorth-eastern Victoria. Employment was scarceand so life was a constant battle.

Ned’s brother Jim and their mother, Ellen Kelly

Source 2.8.1

Ned came to the attention of thepolice when he was 14 years old andaccused of assault. At 15, he wasagain under suspicion for his allegedassociation with a bushrangernamed Harry Power. In 1871, hereceived three years hard labour forhorse stealing. When he wasreleased from jail he found that hismother had given birth to anotherchild, his sister had died in child-birth and his 13-year-old brotherhad been imprisoned for five yearsfor cattle stealing. Ned tried toestablish a life away from crime by

gaining work as a timber feller, bullock driverand foreman at a saw mill.

A map of the area of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales now known as ‘Kelly Country’, showing some of the key sites in the story of Ned Kelly’s life.

The Kelly family were constantly under the sur-veillance of the law because they had a reputationas cattle and horse thieves. On 15 April 1878,Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick arrived at theKelly hut with a warrant to arrest Ned’s younger

Echuca

Albury

Bendigo

SheppartonWangaratta

Benalla

Euroa

Avenel

Mansfield

Beechworth

Jerilderie

Glenrowan

Victoria

New South Wales

Beveridge

Greta

0 30 60 km

Mt Wombat

Murray

River

Cam

pas

pe

Riv

er

Goulburn

River

Broken

Riv

er

Billabong Creek

Ovens

Kin

g

River

River

N

Source 2.8.3

FEARLESS, FREE AND BOLD

NED KELLY AND

THE KELLY GANG

Photograph taken in 1870 of Ned Kelly, age 15

Source 2.8.2

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

49

brother for horse stealing. Ellen Kelly struck Fitz-patrick with a fire shovel, a shot was fired andFitzpatrick was hit in the wrist. Ellen was chargedfor her part in the ‘attempted murder’ and sen-tenced by Judge Redmond Barry to three yearshard labour. Ned and his younger brother, Dan,took off to the Wombat Ranges where they werejoined by their mates Joe Byrne and Steve Hart.The four soon became known as the Kelly Gang.

From their hide-out in the wild mountain rangesthey took to life as bushrangers. At StringybarkCreek in October 1878, the Kelly Gang encoun-tered a group of policemen who had been trackingthem. A gun battle followed leaving three of thepolice dead. The Kelly Gang were now wanted formurder and £500 was offered as the reward fortheir capture. Some people in the district gave thegang food and shelter, and so the police beganarresting anyone suspected of aiding them.

Reward poster for Ned Kelly, 1879

After daring robberies at Eurora and Jerilderiethe reward was increased. In Jerilderie the ganghad locked two local policemen in their own cells,took over the town for two days and escaped withover £2000 from its only bank. Before making hisescape from Jerilderie, Ned Kelly dictated a ram-bling letter of over 7000 words and directed it be

Source 2.8.4

handed over to people of influence in Melbourne.The ‘Jerilderie Letter’ explained the story of hislife, his hatred of the police and threatened whathe may do in the future. He also expressed his lovefor the poor and persecuted, and in doing so beganthe legend of Ned Kelly. The conclusion of Kelly’sletter declared a longing to be amongst ‘thewidows and orphans and poor of Greta districtwhere I spend and will again many a happy dayfearless, free and bold’.

The law inevitably apprehended bushrangers, as shown in this cartoon of Ned Kelly, from Melbourne Punch, 1880.

The gang returned to Glenrowan in June 1880because they believed that Aaron Sherritt, afriend of the Kellys, had become a policeinformer. On 26 June 1880, Joe Byrne rode up toSherritt’s door, called him out and shot him dead.The Victorian Government was now determinedto wipe the Kelly Gang out and sent a train loadof police from Benalla. Kelly’s plan was toambush the train load of police at Glenrowan,hold the townsfolk of Glenrowan hostage andbargain for his mother’s release from jail.

The gang herded the townspeople into the Glen-rowan Hotel where they waited for a train that didnot arrive. The police were warned of the plan

Source 2.8.5

GLENROWAN

HISTORY 2

50

when the local schoolteacher, Thomas Curnow,had been permitted to leave the hotel with his sickwife. Curnow ran back along the railway line andflagged down the train. That night the police sur-rounded the hotel and the battle began. Allthrough the early hours of the morning the firingcontinued. The Kelly Gang fought in armour madefrom scrap iron that was hammered into shape bya bush sympathiser. Joe Byrne was killed and sev-eral hostages injured. As first light came up, Kellydecided to confront the police. Walking slowlythrough the morning mist in his armour heshouted defiantly. Kelly kept firing his bigrevolver but was finally hit twice in the legs andbrought down. Later that day the police burnt theGlenrowan Hotel to the ground. The remains ofHart and Dan Kelly were found in the ruins.

A Strange Apparition. Ned Kelly’s Fight and Capture, 1880

Source 2.8.6

Ned Kelly was sent to Melbourne and tried for themurder of the policemen at Stringybark Creek. NedKelly had an inexperienced counsel defending himand a judge, Redmond Barry, who already knew theKelly family as criminals. When the jury broughtdown the guilty verdict, Judge Barry asked theprisoner if he had anything to say. Ned Kellyreplied ‘I do not blame anybody’. The sentence wasdelivered: Ned Kelly must be hanged by the neckuntil he was dead. On 11 November 1880, at theage of 25, Ned Kelly went to the gallows of theMelbourne jail. His last words were ‘Such is life’.

Excerpt from a Melbourne Age report by Edward Cunningham, 30 October 1880, on the trial of Ned Kelly

SUCH IS LIFE

Source 2.8.7

Prisoner: I do not fear death, and I am the last man in the world to take a man’s life away. I believe that two years ago, before this thing happened, if a man pointed a gun at me to shoot me, I should not have stopped him, so careful was I of taking life. I am not a murderer, but if there is innocent life at stake, then I say I must take some action. If I see innocent life taken, I should certainly shoot if I was forced to do so, but I should first want to know whether this could not be prevented, but I should have to do it if it could not be stopped in any other way.

His Honour: Your statement involves wicked and criminal reflection of untruth upon the witnesses who have given evidence.

Prisoner: I dare say the day will come when we shall all have to go to a bigger court than this. Then we will see who is right and who is wrong . . .

His Honour then passed sentence of death, and concluded with the usual formula, ‘May the Lord have mercy on your soul’.

Prisoner: Yes; I will meet you there.The prisoner was then removed, and the court

adjourned.

SKILLS essentials

Writing a biography

A biography is the story of someone’s life as told by another person. Biographies are useful to historians, as the background details of a person’s life often help to interpret the person’s actions and attitudes. When writing a biography:• include details of the person’s birth and death,

and key events in between• mention any significant events likely to have an

impact on later actions and attitudes• include pertinent quotations

• wherever possible, include names of key places and people, and relevant statistics

• search for appropriate photographs, maps and other relevant images or for information that will help you to create your own illustrations.

Research the life of one of the following bushrangers and write his biography: Dan Morgan, Jack Donohue, Frank Gardiner, Andrew Scott (Captain Moonlight), Ben Hall, Johnny Gilbert, Frank McCallum (Captain Melville), John and Thomas Clarke or another bushranger that interests you.

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

51

Ned Kelly, a painting created by the famous Australian artist Sidney Nolan, 1967

Source 2.8.8

Understand

1. Who were the members of the Kelly Gang and why was the gang formed?

2. Why was a reward offered for the apprehension of the Kelly Gang?

3. What took place at Glenrowan in 1880?4. What happened to the Kelly Gang?

Think

5. Consider Ned Kelly’s heritage and family history. Explain how it could have influenced the Kelly family’s attitude to law.

6. The armour worn by the Kelly Gang at Glenrowan has become famous. Why do you think this armour has become such a widely recognised image of Australia’s bushranging past?

Use sources

7. Examine the pictures of Jim and Ellen Kelly in source 2.8.1 and Ned Kelly in source 2.8.2. Using

a source as your first item of evidence write a response to the statement: ‘Injustice can make a criminal of anyone’.

8. Look carefully at sources 2.8.4 and 2.8.5 and then consider whether you think Ned Kelly was treated justly by the law.

9. According to source 2.8.5, what was bound to be Ned Kelly’s fate? (Look closely at the shadow in the cartoon.)

10. Examine the image of the Glenrowan gunfight (source 2.8.6). Consider how Ned Kelly has been portrayed and then write a caption expressing the message of the drawing.

11. Ned Kelly has come to represent many things to Australian history and culture. Write a letter to the famous artist, Sidney Nolan, explaining your view of the Kelly Gang and your feelings about Nolan’s portrayal (source 2.8.8) of this Australian icon.

Communicate

12. Have a class debate on ‘Ned Kelly: Victim of circumstance or callous criminal?’

ON

THE CD-R

OM

Investigator

HISTORY 2

52

2.9

The Aboriginal people known as the Wurundjeri,of the Kulin nation, were the traditional ownersof the land that became the city of Melbourne. In1835, a small European settlement was estab-lished on the banks of the Yarra River. Two yearslater the settlement was named after the BritishPrime Minister William Lamb, 2nd ViscountMelbourne. In 1850, the colony of Victoria con-sisted of the town of Melbourne, a handful ofports and some small inland settlements thatserved the squatters. It was gold fever thattransformed the face of Melbourne.

In 1839, the surveyor Robert Hoddle drew up aplan for a grand city laid out in rectangles, cov-ering one square mile and surrounded by largeareas of parkland. Hoddle’s city layout and elegantparks remain features of Melbourne today. In thatyear, James Conway Bourke opened up an over-land mail route from Yass to Melbourne. Banksand insurance companies also opened for business.The following year, the Melbourne Water WorksCompany was formed to supply water to the town,and G. W. Cole started business as a merchant andowner of a fleet of paddle steamers transportingbusiness along the Yarra and Port Phillip.

Collins Street Melbourne, 1839, illustration by FA Sleap

Melbourne was officially declared a city in 1847.This was followed by the 1851 celebration of thebirth of the colony of Victoria, following the breakwith New South Wales. Weeks later the discovery

FROM SETTLEMENT TO CITY

Source 2.9.1

of gold was announced. By the 1880s, Melbournewas regarded as one of the most commerciallyimportant and elegant cities in the world. GeorgeSala, an English journalist, was so impressed withit he called it ‘Marvellous Melbourne’.

The gold rushes of the 1850s brought a populationexplosion to Melbourne and created the oppor-tunity for the city to become Australia’s centre oftrade and commerce. Gold fever initially tookpeople away from Melbourne in the great rush tothe goldfields, but the population began to growrapidly again as immigrants streamed throughMelbourne en route to the Victorian diggings.Many migrants who came hoping for a better lifechose to stay in Melbourne, attracted by theprospects of a city being built on the trading ofgold. Gold fever also brought crime and hardshipto the streets of Melbourne. During the early yearsof the gold rush, there was an extreme shortageof affordable accommodation in Melbourne andmany new arrivals were forced to shelter in tentspitched on vacant land along St Kilda Road. Thisarea of Melbourne became known as the notorious‘Canvas Town’ and was demolished in 1853. Someimmigrants lost hope in these harsh surroundingsas the money they had was eaten up by thestruggle to survive and gathering the basic pro-visions necessary for the goldmining life.

Collins Street (Looking West from Russel St), 1853, picture by ST Gill

GOLD!

Source 2.9.2

‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

53

After 1860, the buildings of a proud city began toappear. Wealthy Melbourne citizens spent theirmoney on new commercial buildings, larger housesand factories. The Victorian Government alsobegan spending money on the construction of lavishstone buildings reflecting Melbourne’s status.Melbourne’s magnificent public buildings such asParliament House, the public library, the post officeand the town hall were widely admired. Broadstreets, fine architecture and splendid gardens con-taining many rare plants and trees gave Melbournethe image of the ‘Garden city’. Victoria is stillofficially called the ‘Garden state’. Melbourne’ssophistication was also reflected in the advancedtechnology of gas lighting in the 1850s, and then inthe 1880s, electric lighting. This occurred 25 yearsearlier than in Sydney. In 1878, the VictorianGovernment held an international exhibition tobring the world to ‘Marvellous Melbourne’. A hugeexhibition building was erected near the centre ofthe city with 32000 exhibits from all over the globe.Melbourne was the ‘Queen of the South’.

A photograph of Collins Street, Melbourne, c.1890

The influx of gold-rush wealth made Mel-bourne the richest and largest city in Australia.By the 1880s, Melbourne was the second largestcity in the British Empire. With Australia’s Fed-eration on 1 January 1901, Melbourne becamethe national capital. The first Federal Parliamentwas opened in Melbourne’s Royal ExhibitionBuilding on 9 May 1901, where it remained untilthe 1927 move to the new capital of Canberra.

THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH

Source 2.9.3

Today Melbourne boasts the largest number ofsurviving Victorian-era buildings, outside ofLondon. The legacy of a golden history survivesin Melbourne’s city streets.

An image of life and society in Sydney and Melbourne, from R Therry, Reminiscences of Thirty Years’ Residence in New South Wales and Victoria, 1863

Understand1. Who were the traditional owners of the land that

Melbourne was built on?2. What was significant about the events that

occurred in Melbourne in 1839?3. What impact did the discovery of gold have on

Melbourne?

Think4. Explain why ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ was not so

marvellous.

Teamwork5. Work in small groups to prepare an advertising

campaign for ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ in the 1880s. Use the sources to help you devise your campaign. The campaign will need three elements:(a) a catchy musical jingle summing up

Melbourne’s features(b) a symbol or logo depicting the spirit of the

city(c) a series of postcards highlighting Melbourne’s

attractions (with sketches or photographs).

Source 2.9.4

There are now in Sydney, as well as in Melbourne and other chief towns of Australia, all the materials of what may be termed good middle-class society that one can find in the principal towns of England, out of London . . .

At the balls and parties of Government House, and at private reunions, music and dancing and agreeable conversation supply the usual pleasant entertainment of similar evening associations at home. The amusements of the citizens are further varied and enlivened by regattas, boat-races, and the ‘Homebush races’, where horses of the best blood of English racers enter into emulative competition for liberal prizes, the Legislative Assembly voting an annual sum of 100 guineas for the Queen’s plate. Cricket amongst the men is decidedly the favourite game of all classes of colonists, from youth upwards. A match is annually played between the best cricketers of Victoria and New South Wales, meeting in alternate years at Sydney and Melbourne . . .

Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, in Sydney and Melbourne, sit for many months in the year, occupying (especially in Melbourne) spacious halls as brilliant and almost as commodious as the Houses of the English Parliament.

HISTORY 2

54

2.10

The gold rush era had a major impact onAustralian society. For a start, it caused arapid increase in population. It also madeAustralia very prosperous, with one-thirdof the gold produced in the world duringthe 1850s coming from Australia. Somehistorians argue, though, that thesechanges would have happenedanyway — the gold rush justmade them happen faster.

RESULTS OF

THE GOLD RUSHES

ECONOMY FLOURISHESThe gold rush years of the 1850s saw a huge amount of money pouring into the country. Manufactured goods such as furniture, machinery (especially for farms) and clothing started being made, rather than imported. New industries were also set up. Between 1850 and 1858, the amount of land used to grow crops doubled, and wool growing boomed. Many of the ships that brought thousands of immigrants to the colonies, drawn by the lure of gold, returned to Britain full of wool. The opening up of land, in turn, boosted the growth of towns.

Deliberate efforts were made during the nineteenth century to improve the quality of Merino wool. By 1870, wool was the main export from the colonies.

POLITICAL MUSCLE STRENGTHENSThe political pressure exerted on Britain by free settlers helped to bring about the end of convict transportation in the eastern colonies by 1853 (1840 in New South Wales, 1849 in Victoria and 1853 in Tasmania). Pressure was also building on the goldfields, aided by the urging of immigrants who had been active in unions in Britain. This activism helped to break down the stranglehold pastoralist squatters had over large tracts of land. It also helped to gain the right to vote for men over 21 — initially in Victoria and later in other colonies. When diggers returned after the gold rush, many continued the push for better wages and conditions by joining unions. Gradually a middle class emerged in towns and cities to rival the position of wealthy landowners.

Britain recognised the growing political and financial independence of the colonies. In 1856, it granted responsible government to the colonies of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.

Growing political gains after the Victorian gold rush

Colony (State since 1901)

1

Vote for all adult males

2

Vote for women

3

Secret ballot

4

Elections every

3 years

5

Payment of Parliamentary

members

New South Wales 1858 1902 1858 1874 1889

Victoria 1857 1908 1856 1859 1870

South Australia 1856 1894 1856 1856 1887

Tasmania 1900 1903 1858 1891 1890

Queensland 1872 1905 1859 1890 1886

Western Australia 1893 1899 1877 1900 1900

Some of thekey impacts of the gold rush

CULTURAL GROWTHBoth Melbourne and Sydney were growing cities by the end of the 1850s. They contained many elegant buildings and attractive streetscapes. Art galleries, theatres and music halls sprang up, attended by well-dressed people, eager to impress. Artists and writers began capturing ‘images’ (of people and places) that typified what later generations would call ‘typically Australian’. A national identity was emerging.

Not all the ‘new wealthy’ in the post gold rush era were well regarded. Some elements of society were horrified that the ‘wrong sort of people’ were becoming rich.

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

55

Understand

1. By what approximate percentage did Australia’s population increase between 1851 and 1861?

2. Why was Freeman Cobb’s decision to import American coaches a good one?

3. How did Britain recognise the growing political and financial independence of the colonies in 1856?

4. Examine the table shown on page 54. Decide to what extent you agree with this statement: ‘Victoria led the way for other colonies in gaining important democratic freedoms and rights.’

Communicate

5. As a class, discuss to what extent you feel the less positive outcomes of the gold rush era are still major problems for Australia today.

6. Pick one of the ‘information clusters’ on this spread and represent some aspect of it as either a mind map or a political cartoon.

7. Below is the chorus from the song ‘London and the Diggings’ by colonial poet C Thatcher. Does this description represent the Australia that you know? Explain, with examples.

And this is the country with rich golden soilTo reward any poor man’s industrious toil;There’s no masters here to oppress a poor devilBut out in Australia we’re all on a level.

Worksheets

2.5 Introduced animals

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEBy the 1870s, some 200 barges and 100 paddle steamers were plying their trade in goods and passengers on Australian rivers. Both riverboats and rail were used to transport export goods to the deep-sea ports springing up near key towns and cities. Railways allowed Australia to grow rich as, despite colonies adopting different widths for their rail tracks, they enabled rapid transportation of goods. The first steam train chugged some five kilometres out of Melbourne on 12 September 1854.

The gold rush attracted four young Americans to Melbourne in 1853. One, Freeman Cobb, quickly realised that English coaches used in Australia were not suited to its terrain, and began importing the lighter, more flexible Concord coach from America. Soon Cobb and Co. coach routes criss-crossed parts of the country in much the same way interstate bus routes do today.

This coach ran the last Cobb and Co. run — between Yulena and Suratin 1924. It is now part of the National Museum of Australia collection.

DAMAGING ‘SEEDS’ TAKE ROOTDespite the many benefits that emerged from the gold rush era, there were also less attractive outcomes that have continued, in some instances, to typify what happens in Australia. The clashes with Chinese on the goldfields, for example, laid the groundwork for what would be the White Australia Policy framework Australia had in place until the 1960s. This ‘white elitism’ also influenced relations with indigenous people. The more ‘white society’ flourished, the more indigenous people were dispossessed.

The gold rush era also saw the beginnings of ‘environmental damage in the name of wealth’. Land was cleared, often thoughtlessly, and mining chemicals (e.g. cyanide) allowed to seep into waterways and soils.

This painting of a mining camp at Bathurst shows some of the environmental damage common on the goldfields.

POPULATIONBOOMSAustralia’s population almost trebled between 1851 and 1861 — jumping from 0.4 million to nearly 1.2 million — with most growth in Victoria. When gold was first found, people surged to the goldfields to test their luck. This created drastic labour shortages, which forced up prices of goods such as food and reduced the quality of services. After the gold rush, this flow was reversed. Those who found gold returned to cities and farms to invest (and spend) their wealth. Those who did not, returned to find jobs. This drift back to cities and farms created a labour surplus. Due to the extra demand, prices (especially of property) were again forced up, and the quality of services reduced.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1845 1850 1855 1860

Esti

mate

d p

op

ula

tio

n (

’000s)

Year

VictoriaAustralia

Population growth during the 1850s

HISTORY 2

56

Check & Challenge

GOLD RUSH REVIEW

1. As a class discuss the impact of the discovery of gold on Australian history. Create a class wall poster to express the significance of the gold rush.

2. Imagine you were the reporter on the May 1851 Sydney Morning Herald. You have been assigned the task of covering Hargraves’ discovery. Write an article covering the discovery and the immediate reactions to this exciting news.

3. Write a short story entitled ‘Gold Fever’, which imaginatively recreates a digger’s journey to the goldfields and the experience of being there.

4. Use the internet to research the lives of women and children on the goldfields. Present your findings in PowerPoint or poster form, as a diary entry, song or poem.

5. There were many features of Australian life that were born on the goldfields. The following list shows some of the diggers’ colloquial language terms that are still in use, or understood today. Draw some cartoon-style scenes of diggers on the goldfields with captions. Base your cartoons and captions around the phrases:

• new chum • sly grog

• jumping a claim • rock bottom

• fair dinkum • a shout.

THE SIGNIFICANCE

OF EUREKA

Read about the Southern Cross or Eureka Flag (shown on pages 41 and 43) by visiting the website for this book and clicking on the Eureka Flag weblink for this chapter (see ‘Weblinks’, page vii).

(a) How did the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery prove that this was the original flag?

(b) What did the flag represent for the miners?

(c) Why do you think trade unionists today identify with the flag and often parade it during protests?

WORKING TOGETHER

1. In small groups, decide on a creative way to demonstrate for the class how the 1850s gold rush helped to change either Australia’s:

(a) population

(b) economy

(c) transport systems

(d) class structure.

2. Source 2.11.1 expresses a romantic image of the nineteenth-century bushranger. Work with a partner to compose another ballad celebrating an aspect of Australia’s nineteenth-century history. Consider events such as the discovery of gold, birth of Melbourne or the political change that followed the Eureka Stockade. Using the source as your model, write the words to your ballad and then present them to the class.

A ballad of Ben Hall from the nineteenth century by an unknown writer

Source 2.11.1

Come all you young Australians, and hear what did befall

Concerning of a decent man whose name was bold Ben Hall

An outcast of society he was forced to take the roadAlong of how his faithless wife cleared out from his

abode.

The traps pursued him like a dog through every hill and dale,

Until he faced his enemies and made them all turn tail

No petty, mean or pilfering act would bold Ben Hall endure;

He preyed on rich and hearty men, and scorned to rob the poor.

Although he had a lion’s heart, the bravest of the brave,

They riddled him with thirty wounds, no word of challenge gave;

And cowardly hearted Condell, the Sergeant ofPolice,

Crept up and fired with famous glee which gave him his release.

Throughout Australia’s sunny clime Ben Hall will range no more;

His fame is spread from far and near to every distant shore;

And generations after this his name will yet recallAnd tell their children of the deeds committed by Ben

Hall.

CHAPTER 2: GOLD, BUSHRANGERS AND ‘MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE’

57

Bushrangers, Victoria, AustraliaWilliam Strutt, 1852 (1887), oil on canvas, 75.7 × 156.6 cm,

The University of Melbourne Art Collection,

Gift of the Russell and Mab Grimwade Bequest, 1973

IMAGINE THIS1. Look at the characters depicted in source 2.11.2.

Pick one of these people and tell the story of their life during the gold rush, ending withtheir experience of being bailed up by bushrangers.

2. Copy and extend the mind map started below to illustrate how towns and cities developed from goldfield settlements.

3. Pick an important event or feature of life from the gold rush era. Working with a partner, write a short scene with dialogue which you feel captures this time. Suggested topics you might like to dramatise include a licence hunt, the first meeting of the Ballarat Reform League, the shooting of Captain Thunderbolt, or the Lambing Flat riots.

Source 2.11.2

Coach houses

Need food

Need transport

Coach routesStop at

Sold to

Small goods stores

Vegetable patches

Gold-diggers

Butchers’ shops

4. Peter Lalor became a colourful character on the Victorian political scene after his pardon and election to the Legislative Council. Imagine you are the producer of a television documentary on the development of democratic government in Australia. Conduct some further research so that you can include the life and achievements of another political personality such as Sir Graham Berry. Design a promotional poster for your documentary.

5. Create a timeline for the history of Melbourne during the nineteenth century. Pick a number of significant dates such as 1837, 1851, 1861, 1880 and 1888. Create visuals for your timeline illustrating these major events, and the changes to the cityscape that would have occurred in these years.

FIELD TRIPParticipate in a field trip to a former goldfield or visit the website for this book and click on the Sovereign Hill weblink for this chapter (see ‘Weblinks’, page vii).

List your observations (words and sketches) under the following headings:

• the location of the former goldfield

• original buildings and their purposes

• mining artefacts and their uses

• nature of the terrain, and the difficulties this posed.

ICT

MADE EA

SY

www.jaconline.com.au/ict-mePowerPoint