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Role of Gold Rush in the Formation of Australia’s Colonial Identity
Australia. The place where multiculturalism and diversity thrive. The place where over 20 religions are practiced and over 200 languages are spoken. The place containing rich history and stories that have passed down by many before us. The place that most of us call home. We as a country have formed a long-lasting colonial identity presenting ourselves as a multicultural society that welcomes all ethnicities and backgrounds. Over time we have formed this identity through a number of significant events, one of the most prominent being the Gold Rush. Although gold had been discovered before it had almost always been hushed by higher officials in fear of mutiny. This was until, on the 7th of October 1851 when a man by the name Edward Hargraves discovered gold in Bathurst New South Wales (Gold Oz, 2017). It proved to be one of the most pivotal moments in Australia’s history. From a social perspective, it caused a paradigm shift in the working and living conditions of the population, resulting in many abandoning their jobs to seek fortunes. From a democratic perspective, it was the catalyst for the government taking notice and responsibility for the rights of diggers and tax. Finally, from a long-term perspective, it has led to the diverse and multicultural society today.
Firstly, there are some key factors that contributed heavily to the occurrence of the Gold Rush, one of the most prominent being the first discovery of payable gold. This discovery was made by Edward Hargraves aged 36 after returning to the colonies, immediately heading inland in desperate search for gold (National Museum of Australia, 2019). He immediately noticed that gold was more prevalent in the sloping parts of the mountains. Soon after Hargraves and his team of 4 were successful as they excavated 13 pounds of gold near Summer Hill Creek. He was subsequently rewarded with 50,000 pounds from the Colonial Secretary and news of his findings spread. Prospectors cancelled their trips to California, servants and convicts abandoned their work as thousands rushed to seek fortune. In less than a week over 400 people engulfed the Australian goldfields and within a year more than 500,000 immigrants from all around the world flocked to the newly named ‘Ophir’ gold field. It was going to change the nation…the first Australian Gold Rush had begun (Cavendish, 2001).
Secondly, the Gold Rush had an immense impact on both the working and living conditions of the population. As over half a million people from around the world travelled to Victoria’s goldfields, conditions for those living there became more and more severe. Due to the lack of workers at previous jobs, housing prices tripled leaving scarce and everything from food to travel was extremely expensive (National Museum of Australia, 2019). Digging was a back-breaking, dangerous, dirty occupation with no certainty of any return. However, at a time when most labored long and hard just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, when an accident or bout of sickness could plunge a family into poverty, it is small wonder that the chance to ‘make a fortune’ induced men to flock to the diggings (National Geographic, 2019). Living conditions in the fields were also far from luxurious. Tents were pitched on the outskirts, consisting of minimal ‘furniture’, packing cases, logs and stumps with a mound of straw or leaves on the floor and covered by a flea ridden blanket, serving as a bed. Due to the lack of a nutritious diet many diggers suffered from constant weariness and long hours working resulted in worn out limbs. Inadequate sanitary arrangements and polluted water led to outbreaks of dysentery, and sand fly bites caused ‘sandy blight’ (MelbourneHistoryGuide, 2019). Hygiene was also a problem and the diggers were prone to a variety of illnesses. Injury and death from mining accidents were also numerous. Doctors, many of whom had no qualifications except initiative, did a thriving trade.
The Gold Rush was a monumental event that is considered one of the most important in Australia’s history as it triggered immigration on a major scale, introducing a new and diverse background to the colonies, brought about political change and led to the establishment of new technology and infrastructure. The Gold Rush caught the attention of many international countries inviting young and skilled migrants to Australia. With these immigrant’s cam their culture which had a massive influence on the colonies. Many started to adapt these cultural differences (Kids Encyclopedia, 2019). To accommodate this boost in population the government began to broaden land settlement and saw the establishment of rural centers and infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, telephone lines as well as the founding of the first railway track in date. As digging became more extensive, higher advanced heavy machinery replaced the simple pan and cradle that was once used. Soon those from overseas brought their own ideas of rights and fair treatment which in the long term helped to push for independence and federation (Gold Oz, 2017).
It is evident that the Gold Rush has had some of the longest lasting impacts on Australia’s colonial identity. Firstly, it instigated a fundamental change in the way the government viewed people’s rights and our political system (Sexton, 2019). The democratic system we have today was began with protests for equal rights in places like the goldfields and immensely assisted with our independence and federation today. Now voting is compulsory and over 16.4 million Australian people get their say each year (AEC, 2019). Secondly, the discovery of gold served as a catalyst for the opening of Australia’s doors to the international immigrants of the world leading to a flurry of skilled migrants. This impact is still evident today as we live in one of the most multicultural countries in the world. It led to rapid economic expansion. Gold provided a firmer financial base for Australia, encouraging foreign investment (Kid Cyber Network, 2019). Primary production expanded to support an increase in migrant numbers. All these long-term effects of the Gold Rush have led to the multicultural, fair and developed country that we are today.
The Gold Rush played a major role in shaping Australia’s colonial identity as it changed many aspects of life at the time including occupational opportunities, transportation networks and rights for the workers. It had a very significant role in establishing Australia’s colonial identity as it led to a massive population boom, brought about social and cultural development as well as a new democratic system and the overall multicultural Australia we have today. It changed the way the government viewed equality and will always be recognized as a monumental moment in history.
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