---
title: "Australian Gold Rush Begins"
year: 1851
country: "Australia"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1851/australian-gold-rush"
slug: "australian-gold-rush"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1851-05-01"
---

# Australian Gold Rush Begins

> The 1851 Victorian gold discoveries triggered mass migration and transformed Australia's colonial economy, rivaling the 1848 California Gold Rush in historical impact.

## Summary

During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of New South Wales had suppressed the news out of the fear that it would reduce the workforce and destabilise the economy.

## Sources

- [Australian gold rushes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1851/australian-gold-rush