ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 details the social and economic disruption following the discovery of gold in 1851. Over the next fifty years, mining for gold, copper, tin, silver and lead caused environmental destruction, but supported very rapid and diverse population growth. The presence of Chinese at the gold diggings led to discrimination and anti-Chinese riots. Miners vigorously debated questions of democracy, while city-dwellers worried about the social effects of rising wealth. The 1854 miners’ revolt at Eureka became part of a national story of progress towards a fair and just society. (White) male suffrage, election by secret ballot and an eight-hour working day were introduced. Inland towns grew, supported by river transport, camel trains and railways. In the north, Aboriginal people found work on cattle stations, worked alongside Japanese pearl divers and traded with Macassan trepang fishermen. Through the nineteenth century, migrants arrived in large numbers, attracted by reports of Australia as a land of opportunity. In the growing port cities, key cultural institutions began to flourish – museums, universities, art galleries, libraries and mechanics institutes.
