RESPONSES TO GOLD: How did people imagine Australia’s future in light of the gold discoveries, but what anxieties did the gold-rushers inspire?

The Gold rush caused monumental change to Australia and in particular Victoria. People from all colonies as well as countries across the globe including Ireland and China, flocked to the Central Highlands region forming townships of Ballarat, Bendigo and Clunes amongst many others. As the population of Victoria expanded rapidly from 20,000 in 1851 to 300,000 in 1860, people’s expectations of the Australia’s future, similarly increased. The wealth that was being brought into the economy from the gold as well as the people that were coming to Melbourne and the surrounding regions meant that the infrastructure of the colony saw significant improvements, as well as the growth in businesses. Coupled with this influx of wealth was the rising notion of Australia as a lucky country where any poor man could strike it rich. This sentiment however, was often dramatised so that many people travelled to the diggings with a false belief that they would immediately find an enormous nugget and never have to work again. In reality, many men worked tirelessly in dangerous and dirty conditions on the goldfields for several years and never ‘struck it rich’, but only found enough gold to fund remaining on the goldfields. The goldfields of central Victoria and the diggers that lived there ultimately created many concerns for society. The disproportionate ratio of men to women led to what many felt to be an immoral lifestyle with gambling and alcohol (although officially prohibited), rife on the diggings. Furthermore, the abandonment of many women and their families at home whilst there husband travelled to the goldfields was common, whilst the women that did accompany their husbands were subjected to the poor lifestyle of the diggings. Another concern raised on the goldfields was the high number of immigrants and in particular the large number of Chinese. Not only were there fears of the foreigners, but there was also anger generated due to the Chinese immense work ethic and the fact that they would find gold and then return to China without injecting any of the wealth back into the Australian economy.  Ultimately, the gold rush was not everything that it was originally anticipated to be, there were in fact many causes for concern.  

                                            http://home.vicnet.net.au/~mothers/4%20Smythesdale%20Goldfields.html
This picture depicts the dissent of women as well as men into the immoral lifestyle of the diggings that included excessive alcohol and gambling, one of the concerns that arose from the goldfields.