Viewing entries tagged
gold rush
Hang on to your hat and hop aboard one of Australia’s most impressive long-distance trains with British comedian and travel enthusiast Griff Rhys Jones, as he experiences the gold thrills of an adventure through the heart of our nation.
In the first episode, Perth to Kalgoorlie: Find a Sandgroper, Griff explores Western Australia’s earthly riches.
Following extensive renovation and expansion, the Western Australian Museum reopened on Saturday 21 November to week-long celebrations and a new name: WA Museum Boola Bardip.
Visitors can discover the value of gold across various exhibits that include details on life during the 19th century gold rushes, links between the gold industry and our wider communities, mining processes, and how gold influenced social change.
Following its success at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, acclaimed Australian drama The Furnace premiered on 30 November, shining a light on the ‘Afghan’ cameleers during the 1800s gold rushes at its premiere on 30 November.
The Furnace premieres as part of Lotterywest Films Perth Festival from 30 November – 6 December before being available at 110 cinemas around Australia from 10 December 2020.
Can you imagine the excitement of finding a shiny gold nugget? Read on to learn the stories behind the world’s 30 largest gold discoveries of all time, most of which were unearthed in Australia!
Unearth more golden stories on the free Heart of Gold Australia app, available for your mobile or tablet device from the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android).
The 2020 Lexus Melbourne Cup visited Bendigo last week to celebrate its origins, made using gold from the Fosterville Gold Mine, located just 20kms outside of the City, crafted by the skilled workers of ABC Bullion.
2020 marks the first-time gold from the Bendigo region in Victoria has been used to make the prestigious Cup.
Gold shone bright at this year’s Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum as 1,900 delegates converged in Kalgoorlie, marking its first time without visitors from overseas and interstate.
Relive the golden highlights from the 29th year of the Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum.
Since the gold rushes of the 1850s Australia’s gold industry has been making a vital contribution to the country’s economic prosperity, generating wealth and underpinning global production. Moreover it is the lifeblood of many regional communities, creating jobs and educational opportunities, while providing vital infrastructure and boosting tourism.
Tourism in Western Australia’s Goldfields region will soon unearth life-changing nuggets of family history thanks to an innovative partnership and campaign between Australia’s Golden Outback and the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society.
Applicants with connections to the region could win a unique experience to dig deeper into their own family history, while their ancestry journey is made into a mini documentary.
Western Australia’s netball superstars unearthed the State’s golden secrets on an interactive virtual adventure through Perth’s CBD, as they walked the Heart of Gold Discovery Trail.
Armed with the free Heart of Gold Australia app, West Coast Fever players Stacey Francis, Jhaniele Fowler, Verity Charles and Shannon Eagland learnt the rich history and importance of gold to Australia’s future.
Although the final stop on the Kalgoorlie Heart of Gold Discovery Trail, the Museum of the Goldfields is just the beginning of another golden adventure.
Visit the Museum to uncover a veritable treasure trove of historic artefacts and stories that tell the tale of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
The Gold Industry Group were recently treated to the ultimate road trip through the Goldfields by Mandy and Chuck from the Goldfields Tourism Network WA.
The 300 km long photo shoot included several hidden gems and key stopping points on the Golden Quest Discovery Trail – an epic adventure through the heart of the region.
In 1911, a newly-wed Aboriginal couple found gold in Far North Queensland. The woman became a miner and made history, when she found a new goldfield located near the Batavia River.
Aboriginal people mined the land for ochre and stone long before the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Harbour. As the European gold rushes spread across the country, some Aboriginal people became prospectors too.
After the gold rush at Fly Flat in 1892, Coolgardie in Western Australia, grew into a bush settlement of red earth, tents and humpies. The lure of striking it rich drove gold diggers and prospectors further afield to search for the next big discovery of gold.
Ninety miles north-east of Coolgardie, the country was marked by a chain of salt lakes. The Gimlet gum trees made a roaring sound when the south-westerly winds blew strong.
In 1892, Coolgardie grew into a booming town after prospectors Arthur Bayley and William Ford discovered a rich find of gold nuggets at Fly Flat. Prospectors, gold diggers, mining companies and speculators then followed the gold rush during the roaring nineties in Western Australia.
The Gold Industry Group has released results from a study conducted by Deloitte Access Economics into the gold industry, revealing its significant contribution to Australia’s history, economic development and social advancement.
“From the 1850s, the demand for gold has helped grow, sustain and define Australia,” said Deloitte Access Economics Partner Matt Judkins.
Gold has retained a hallowed place in the history of the Australian resources sector and beyond for generations, and its central part in Western Australia’s past is both colourful and fascinating.
However, the story is far from over, and the importance of this rarest of precious metals in today’s economy can be seen with more than 70% of the nation’s overall gold production coming from WA. If WA was a country, it would be the 5th largest gold producer in the world.
“Fly Flat” doesn’t sound like a prestigious or auspicious name for a place that started a gold rush boom. But on the outskirts of Coolgardie in Western Australia, the flat country with sparse gum trees was rich with alluvial gold, and changed the fortunes of a nation.
In 1892, two prospectors, Arthur Bayley and William Ford found over five hundred ounces of gold at Fly Flat. At today’s gold price, the horde would be valued at over half a million dollars.
From its renowned precious metals refinery to its modern manufacturing facilities, through to its range of gold coins and bars, and innovative precious metals investment offerings – The Perth Mint has evolved from its humble yet industrious beginnings into a dynamic enterprise which embraces the global gold market.
As Australia’s only remaining, fully operating ‘gold rush’ mint of the 1800s, The Perth Mint’s grand colonial building continues to guard the wealth of operations and gold exhibits, which each play a role in adding value to, and promoting, gold worldwide.
