Victorian gold rush and South Australia

The Australian gold rush of the 1850s and 1860s had a dramatic effect on the people, landscape, and fiscal market of the colonial nation, especially South Australia. Almost every able-bodied male fled South Australia to Victoria and Ballarat to pursue a dream of striking gold, leaving it relatively empty. Many South Australians documented their journey in letters such as J.W. Cole.

A measure to slow the decline of the South Australian economy was the passing of the Bullion Act of 1852. The Act encouraged miners to bring their gold back to the colony, the price offered per ounce was higher than at the diggings or in Melbourne. The Commissioner of Police Alexander Tolmer proposed a route for the gold escort by Mounted Police to bring gold back to South Australia safely.

Ships trying to avoid the 1855 Victorian poll tax dropped Chinese arrivals off at the South Australian coastal town of Robe, in an area known as Chinaman’s Well. These gold seeking immigrants heading for the Victorian goldfields would dig wells along the route to ensure water for themselves and future arrivals of Chinese following the trail. Between 1857 and 1863 over 17,000 Chinese people walked from Robe to the Victorian goldfields.

In 1847 some gold was found in Adelaide’s Mount Lofty Ranges, including Echunga and the Barossa Valley. The Victorian gold diggings were much larger and attracted considerable interest amongst prospectors from Australian colonies and overseas, seeking their fortune.