Smith Found Gold First In N S W

[mn90403]

History stands corrected: Smith, not Hargraves, first to discover gold in NSW

https://www.smh.com.au/national/history-stands-corrected-smith-not-hargraves-first-to-discover-gold-in-nsw-20200902-p55rtr.html

[MikeT]

Interesting, thanks for posting.

 

Mike

 

[AussieMatt]

What about McBrien, McGregor & Clarke?

All earlier & hushed up.

Quote

The first gold discoverers were shepherds, surveyors and clergymen. As early as 1823, surveyor James McBrien noticed gold particles by the Fish River east of Bathurst.

Shepherds searching for grazing lands travelled westwards over the Blue Mountains and moved onto land which revealed gold-bearing quartz reefs.

An ex-convict and shepherd named McGregor found many pieces of gold in the Wellington region and chipped parts off to take to Sydney where it was displayed in jewellery shop windows.

However it wasn’t until the 1840s that gold exploration was seriously discussed by geologists such as the Reverend William Branwhite Clarke. Anglican clergyman and geologist, Rev. Clarke was principal at the King’s School,  Parramatta and later the rector at St Thomas’, North Sydney. His passion was geology and in 1841, while exploring the Blue Mountains for fossils, he examined granite slabs near Hartley and discovered particles of gold. 

Clarke wrote that the country would be found 'abundantly rich in gold'. He continued to collect specimens and in April 1844 he informed Governor Gipps of his finds and later claimed that the governor directed him to 'Put it away, Mr. Clarke, or we shall all have our throats cut'.

The ruling elite feared that a predominantly convict population striking it rich would lead to greater crimes or result in a convict rebellion brought on by greed for gold.

A gold rush in the bush, away from the main population centre could upset the status quo of the ordered convict society.

Source: State Library of NSW

[Jim McCulloch]

Of course, we're only crediting European finders, the original Aboriginal finders of gold have been discounted. When the Conquistadors "discovered" gold in Mexico it was centuries after the Aztecs and Mayans had perfected the recovery, refining, and casting of gold. Credit where credit is due... Regarding Hargraves, he was one of the first Englishmen to find AU in California, being a Fortyniner, and he later introduced Sonoran (Mexican) placer mining techniques to Oz. 

[mn90403]

Perhaps the others listed from the library in NSW did not demonstrate the gold they found to be 'payable.'

[AussieMatt]

2 hours ago, mn90403 said:

Perhaps the others listed from the library in NSW did not demonstrate the gold they found to be 'payable.'

I don't think they were given the opportunity to. Each of those areas has been payable at some point in time.

There are similar stories of earlier but hushed up "discoveries" in Victoria too.

Jim has also hit the nail on the head. The indigenous people of Australia also knew of not only gold but coal & other minerals.

We shouldn't discount Hargraves role in Australia altogether. He may not have been the first to discover payable gold but he was the first to convince the Government of the time to acknowledge it & kick started the gold rush in Australia, a very important part of history.

 

[mn90403]

Due to the nature and circumstance of those who went to Australia it has fed a colorful history.  

'Mark Twain observed more than a century ago that Australian history is "always picturesque; indeed, it is so curious and strange, that it is itself the chiefest novelty the country has to offer and so pushes the other novelties into second and third place.

 

History :: Beautiful Lies - Wakefield Press

“Australian History:

.... does not read like history, but like the most beautiful lies.”

― Mark Twain, Following the Equator - Part 7

[jrbeatty]

16 hours ago, AussieMatt said:

I don't think they were given the opportunity to. Each of those areas has been payable at some point in time.

There are similar stories of earlier but hushed up "discoveries" in Victoria too.

Jim has also hit the nail on the head. The indigenous people of Australia also knew of not only gold but coal & other minerals.

We shouldn't discount Hargraves role in Australia altogether. He may not have been the first to discover payable gold but he was the first to convince the Government of the time to acknowledge it & kick started the gold rush in Australia, a very important part of history.

First published in 1963,  historian Geoffery Blainey, in his excellent book "The Rush That Never Ended" detailed the numerous significant pre - Hargreaves gold finds already mentioned above. Nothing new in the "Herald" article indeed.

Blainey credits Hargreaves with being a master self publicist who found little gold personally, but by telling all and sundry where and how gold may be recovered (In order to obtain governmental financial reward) forced the government's hand to legalise gold mining long before it was ready or prepared. 

This led to the hurried introduction of the licensing system, which by nature of its heavy financial cost to diggers, eventually led to armed rebellion at Eureka.

[mn90403]

I saw the depiction and 'random' enforcement of the licensing system at Ballarat's Sovereign Hill.  Now I can understand the beginning a bit more and see its cost to society.  The fees were unevenly applied.  The Red Coats were feared in most quarters.