Gold Rush, 1852
To Economy
Following the first payable gold discovery at Ophir by Edward Hammond Hargraves in 1852, the international rush towards Australia's fledgling gold fields brought 370 000 migrants to Australia in its first year and would greatly alter the social and economic fabric of New South Wales.
These new settlers brought with them new trades and skills, as well as their culturally specific habits, which benefited local economies of gold rush towns. The towns also flourished with the development of sustainable service and manufacturing industries, elevating them beyond the somewhat stagnant farming villages of the past. When the gold rush came to an end in the 1870s, Australia's population had risen from 400 000 to 1.2 million, with many miners choosing to settle in Australia permanently.
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