Camp, it’s coming up fast. Information will be sent home with students very soon.
Bass and Flinders’ exploration of Tasmania and Victoria allowed others to follow. Hume and Hovell walked to present day Geelong, all the way from Sydney. They had to cross rivers and difficult terrain. In 1834, the Henty Brothers settled Portland, and the following year, John Batman bought much of the land from Geelong to Melbourne (including all the land around the Yarra River) from the Aborigines for a few trinkets, shirts, scissors, blankets and tomahawks. Discuss if you think this was a fair swap. Remember, the Wurundjeri people didn’t really know what Batman intended. Land was very sacred to them, but Batman believed that he had struck a deal, and now the land was his and Britain’s. John Pascoe Fawkner joined him and together they brought new settlers from Tasmania, Sydney and Britain to populate their new town, later to be named Melbourne, after the British Primeminister, Viscount Melbourne.
a yellow metal
precious, valuable
rare, difficult to find
malleable
‘Au’ – from aurium, a Latin word for gold
durable – almost indestructible
A good conductor of heat and electricity
does not tarnish or corrode
alloyed with other metals to increase hardness
content of gold in gold alloy is measured in carats (24 carats is pure gold)
Some facts about gold. Some people have gold fillings in their teeth.
There is gold in computers and smart phones.
Space ships and space equipment requires gold.
Some buildings have real gold on their ceilings- several banks in Melbourne have real gold in their ceilings. Some churches in Greece and other parts of Europe have gold paint in the ceilings. Chinese costumes from the 19th Century contained real gold thread, and the best surviving examples of this artistry is found in Bendigo.
First Australian Discoveries
Gold in America
End of Transportation
Changing Population – need for a new industry to create wealth
Gold Discoveries announced in NSW
Victorian Gold Rush Begins
Too many people
Up until the time of the Gold Rush in New South Wales and Victoria, most people coming to Australia were convicts or free settlers. Many of the free settlers were lured to Australia with the promise of becoming ‘landed gentry’ or people of means, something they were unlikely to achieve in Britain. Britain was a class structured society, and it was difficult for ambitious, creative people to make a success of their lives. Many free settlers were trying to escape the crowded cities of Britain, and the madness of the ‘Industrial Revolution’. Others were in debt, and their only way of paying off their debt was to emigrate to Australia.
Whatever the reasons free settlers came to Australia, not too many came at once. However, all this changed in 1823. A government worker found alluvial (surface) gold in a river bed in Bathurst, New South Wales. Gold was also found inBathurst by an explorer, Strzelecki who also climbed and named Mount Kosiosko. However, no credit was given to him and he was upset that a reward of ten thousand pounds went to Edward Hargraves: On October 16, 1839, Strzelecki wrote to James Walker: `On this side of the Dividing Range the variety of rocks and embedded minerals augment indications most positive of the existing gold and silver veins.’ Ten days later, on October 26, 1839, he wrote to James Macarthur: `I have a specimen of native silver in hornblende rock, and gold in specks in silicate, both serving as strong indications of the existence of these precious metals in New SouthWales.’ Another place where Strzelecki found gold was the bank of Cox River, near Hartley. However, the Governor of the colony, Sir George Gipps, requested him to keep the news secret because the maintenance of discipline among 45,000 convicts would become impossible. However, the government kept this news quiet, as it didn’t want people to leave the colonies, especially the convicts or their guards.
In 1851, Edward Hargraves found gold in Ophir, New South Wales. Thousands of hopeful seekers came looking for the gold treasure, and so the first Australian Gold Rush had begun.
Melbourne was only a small city in the early the 1850’s, and so many people were leaving to seek their fortune in New South Wales, that the government offered a reward to anyone who could find gold in Victoria, which was a brand new colony. In the same year that Victoria gained its independence from New South Wales, gold was found in Ballarat. The following year gold was found in Bendigo.
Soon more gold was found in Castlemaine, and Beechworth and there were 10,000 men on the ‘diggings’ in Victoria. Gold was also found at Stawell, Chiltern and Gippsland.
The cities of Geelong and Melbourne and most farming areas lost many of their working men to the gold fields. As the alluvial gold disappeared, most of them returned to their previous work and helped to keep the trade flowing between the colonies and Britain.
Portland and Warrnambool were smaller ports, but they were important centres for conveying farming produce, such as wool, potatoes and wheat, to the major cities, whaling (the bones and baleen were used in the construction of ladies garments, the oil for lighting and the blubber for cosmetics and soap), and for receiving products that couldn’t be manufactured in the South West. At this stage, ports were integral to the success of the colony because the roads were rough and undeveloped. It wasn’t until Cobb and Co introduced the American Stagecoach that road travel could show minimum improvement in comfort and speed. It wasn’t until later in the 19th Century that the introduction of trains made connections between cities and towns more effective.
By 1852, when news of the discovery of gold had reached Britain, Europe and the rest of the World, gold seekers flooded into Victoria. In 1851, the the population of Victoria was 77,000. In 1861 it had swelled to 500,000.
The Gold Rush in Victoria lasted for ten years. After that, only companies that could afford the expense of deep shaft mining could continue. Many of the alluvial miners then moved on to Queensland, Western Australia or New Zealand which also had smaller gold rushes.
After the Strike – Taking the Gold
There are two different types of gold – alluvial and mined
Alluvial Gold was basically mined in two ways:
This is all tongue in cheek- pun intended. Did you know that red food dye comes from crushed cochineal beetles of Central and South America? It’s used in red icy-poles, red skins (lollies), red and pink lollies and strawberry flavoured drinks (Starbucks?) and lip-stick.
It is well known that this substance makes kids go stir-crazy, and many children have an allergic reaction to the chemical. It’s not surprising then, that the miners in Ballarat were a cranky lot, and it seems that their favourite lollies were comprised of cochineal beetle extract. They couldn’t afford the more expensive foods, and so to keep going, would indulge in copious amounts of cochineal laden lollies. Combine their irritability with alcohol and political cant- they were in mood for war.
It is interesting that the Chinese miners made time in their day to raise vegetables, keep chickens and goats, and were careful to eat properly. They took no part in the Eureka uprising, and were much healthier than the cranky Europeans.
Just a thought.
http://observatory.ballarat.net/1aor2.html
There is going to be a detective hunt at Lake Wendouree. There are Three Locations at Lake Wendouree that you can find information and gain points for your team.
The Playground–
How many activities can any fit and healthy child do at this amazing playground? (You only have count each activity once.)
What has this playground got that you don’t often see in other playgrounds?
What is the name of the cushioning, soft bark on the ground called?
The Aboriginal Soundscape Playground
Who are the original inhabitants of Ballarat (don’t say Aborigines or Koori- they have a specific name which you’ll find in this playground)
What Aboriginal Totem is being honoured in this park?
Why is this creature important to the Ballarat Indigenous Community?
What is unique to this park? (Things you don’t often see in other parks?)
What does Wendouree mean?
Give an example of a native plant in the park.
What is meant by the term ‘exotic flora and fauna’?
What does the word evergreen mean when talking about trees?
Can you name two of the many types of trees that are exotic?
What is a deciduous tree?
The Botanical Gardens
Make a list of all the statues of Primeministers, starting in order. You have to be able to memorise the entire lot. You will be given an opportunity in class to learn them.
What is this display of Australian Priministers called?
What is a perennial flower?
What is a plant called if it is not native to Australia?
What are the large buildings made of glass called?
Why do some plants have to be kept in them? (There can be more than one answer, so you’ll be given a point for every good answer)
In one of the buildings there are statues which convey stories. One is about a terrible real event that happened in Italy a long time ago. What is the name of this event?
Another series of statues refer to an extra biblical story. It is only found in the Catholic Bible. What is the name of this story and can you work out who the main character is?
What is the building housing the nude statues called?
Find as many different types of trees, and see if you can record their names. If there is a common name, like Elm, that will be fine. If it only has a Latin name, then try to write it accurately.
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