# Canonical recap data for Australian Gold Rush Begins (1851)
# Source: https://recap.at/1851/australian-gold-rush
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: australian-gold-rush
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1851/australian-gold-rush"
title: Australian Gold Rush Begins
subtitle: The 1851 Victorian gold discoveries triggered mass migration and transformed Australia's colonial economy, rivaling the 1848 California Gold Rush in historical impact.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1851-05-01
datePrecision: month
year: 1851
decade: 1850
country:
name: Australia
slug: australia
summaryShort: "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 "
summaryLong: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Edward_Roper_-_Gold_diggings%2C_Ararat%2C_1854.jpg/1280px-Edward_Roper_-_Gold_diggings%2C_Ararat%2C_1854.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Australian gold rushes"
importance: 73
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes"
  title: Australian gold rushes
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discov
wikidataQid: Q2914928
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260527190803/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-27
  label: Australian gold rushes
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes"
