Painting of men using various tools to dig for gold. In the background, dozens of white tents are pitched on the grassy slopes on either side

Edwin Stocqueler, Australian gold diggings, ca.1855, nla.obj-134299327

Silhouettes of men chasing and fighting each other

Tommy McRae, Aboriginal man chasing Chinese man and Aboriginal men fighting, Wahgunyah Region, Victoria, 1881, nla.obj-153002898

Detail of old handwritten letter that starts with 'My Dear Brother'. At the top of the page is a panoramic-illustration of a city labelled 'Melbourne 1854'

Samuel Valentine, Letter from Samuel Valentine to his brother (detail), 1860, nla.cat-vn125634

Black and white photo of three men standing near a line of camels loaded with sacks of supplies

John Flynn, An ‘Afghan’ camel driver with two unknown men, standing next to a camel train, c. 1912-1930 , nla.obj-142345446

The discovery of gold at Ophir, New South Wales, and at Clunes, Victoria, in 1851 marked the beginning of Australia’s goldrushes. Migrants from all over the world brought new skills and professions, changing convict colonies into progressive cities. In response to racial conflict, colonial governments implemented the first wave of anti-Chinese legislation in Victoria (1855), South Australia (1857) and New South Wales (1861). These laws were repealed by 1867 after sustained resistance from Chinese people and their European allies.  

European explorers made their way across the continent in the 1860s, opening up land for pastoral and agricultural industries. However, in doing so, they hastened Indigenous dispossession and environmental change.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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