Goldfields + Chinese

Discovery gold in 1850

Vic goldfields = richest in world, gold replace wool as principle export.

Arrival of large num people → dispossession of aborg peep from land

Impacts:
people leave reg job in cities
growing tension between diff cultures + nationalities
abuse of power + authority in goldfields
increased calls for change + representation

Gold discovery NSW

Firstly, gold = first find 1839 NSW. Gov Gipps = ordered to be secret as he fear revolt

1851 = Edward Hargraves discover gold. Didn’t keep secret
-California goldrush = people leave NSW ↓ pastoral industry
-Gold could grow colony fortunes

People leave Victoria for goldfields.

Rewards = offered for anyone who find gold 320 km of Melb

Discover gold in Vic

James Esmond discovered gold 1851
4 months later = Castlemaine, Ballarat, Bendigo

Vic goldfield = superior to NSW
-richer
-160km from Melbourne

Impact
- Hundreds peeps migrate to Victoria
- Farms + shops + office close cus ↓ workforce → Melb Economy ↓, gov = loose income

Life on goldfields

Most people = poor
Many = no make fortune+ return to old jobs
Journey to goldfield = very difficult
-no road , muddy
-equip = transport on wheelbarrow
-heat, difficult creek crossing, high cost of repairing breakdown

Many miner = no idea what they were doing
-arrived w/o belongings, no prepared for permanent settlement

Alluvial mining gold = gone → deeper mining. Problems (asphyxiation, drowning, tunnel collapse) Miners = frustrated

Emigration of Chinese diggers

1840 = famine in China, 100k people die.
Come to gold rush → men discover gold, send profits back to China.

End of gold rush, 25k Chinese live in Vic

People on goldfields = hate chinese
-Laws made by Vic parliament = made life difficult for Chinese e.g 10$ tax for enter Vic

Why people dislike Chinese

Threat to the prosperity of European miners.

British thought Chinese = take queens gold back to China. “Not Right”.
Therefore,
-Not seen to be contributing to economic + social devel for country.

Peeps believe Chinese culture = incompatible w/ British culture.

Differences → hate towards chinese

Different culturally + in work ethic

Europeans = dislike Chinese work on Sunday (rest day)

Chinese = reuse mines, sometimes strike gold = cause resentment from euro

Different habits. e.g smoke opium + drink beer + whiskey