ON THIS DAY: April 14, 1870 Gold is discovered near present day Gulgong, sparking a major goldrush.
Gulgong is a small town on the Central Tablelands, NSW. Its name is believed to be derived from the Wiradjuri word for deep waterhole. The earliest European forays into the Gulgong region occurred within a few years after William Cox completed the first inland road to Bathurst, following the successful expedition of Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth across the Blue Mountains. Coxs own sons expanded their property from the Mudgee region into Gulgong, establishing Guntawang cattle station in 1822. Although conflicts with the Wiradjuri caused problems, white settlement continued to expand.
Gold was first discovered in the Gulgong region in 1866, but early discoveries were not promising. However, a significant find was made on 14 April 1870 by shepherd Tom Saunders, from Guntawang station. A major goldrush in Gulgong ensued, with the regions population swelling by 500 within a few weeks. When the town of Gulgong was officially gazetted in 1872, the population was around 20000.
In the decade between 1870 and 1880, an estimated 15000 kg of gold was extracted, but the diggings were being exhausted. Gulgongs population had dropped to 1212 by 1881, after which it relied on wheat and sheep to sustain the local economy.
(source: wmit.net / photo: australian geographic)
Gulgong is a small town on the Central Tablelands, NSW. Its name is believed to be derived from the Wiradjuri word for deep waterhole. The earliest European forays into the Gulgong region occurred within a few years after William Cox completed the first inland road to Bathurst, following the successful expedition of Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth across the Blue Mountains. Coxs own sons expanded their property from the Mudgee region into Gulgong, establishing Guntawang cattle station in 1822. Although conflicts with the Wiradjuri caused problems, white settlement continued to expand.
Gold was first discovered in the Gulgong region in 1866, but early discoveries were not promising. However, a significant find was made on 14 April 1870 by shepherd Tom Saunders, from Guntawang station. A major goldrush in Gulgong ensued, with the regions population swelling by 500 within a few weeks. When the town of Gulgong was officially gazetted in 1872, the population was around 20000.
In the decade between 1870 and 1880, an estimated 15000 kg of gold was extracted, but the diggings were being exhausted. Gulgongs population had dropped to 1212 by 1881, after which it relied on wheat and sheep to sustain the local economy.
(source: wmit.net / photo: australian geographic)
I just borrowed the story and the pic from elsewhere.
