Episode 2 of 3
Proclamation of First Gold Rush
- When
- May 1851
- Where
- Bathurst
The first Australian gold rush was proclaimed in May 1851 near Bathurst, following Edward Hargraves' announcement of payable gold at Ophir.
Bathurst is referred to as the Gold Country due to this first discovery. The rush began in May 1851 after Hargraves claimed payable gold near Orange at Ophir, a spot named after his announcement in a Bathurst Hotel.
Sources
- Bathurst, New South Wales Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
- Australian gold rushes Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.