deavored to find gold within their own limits. Rumors of discoveries
were constantly arising. Gold was found at Echuca in South Australia, in
the Fingal district of Tasmania, and in the Curumandel ranges of New
Zealand. But none of these discoveries could compare for a moment with
those which took place within the newly constituted colony of Victoria.
Even so early as August, 1851, gold had been worked at a place called
"Deep Creek" (or "Anderson's Creek"), not far from Melbourne, but this
was soon abandoned in favor of the diggings at Clunes, on the headwaters
of the streams which flow north from the great dividing range to the
Murray River. A month later, these again were temporarily deserted in
favor of the rich Buninyong district, just south of the range, whose
chief centre was Ballarat. Finally, at the beginning of October, 1851,
the wonderful finds at Mount Alexander, a spur of the Macedon range to
the north of Melbourne, were eclipsing all previous discoveries.

Before the end of the year the export of gold from Victoria alone had
very nearly reached half a million in value. In two years the population
of the Victorian gold-fields almost equalled the whole population of the
colony at the close of 1850. Most of the diggers lived in tents, and had
absolutely no interest in the colony beyond the mere hope of profit from
the diggings. If a more profitable field had opened elsewhere, they
would have left at once. By the end of the year 1851 the probable area
of future discoveries was pretty well recognized. The gold-fields, with
few exceptions, were found to lie on one side or the other of the
eastern Cordillera or chain of mountains which, beginning with Mount
Elliot in Northern Queensland, follows the coast with remarkable
precision till it reaches Port Phillip Bay. But all the more northerly
part of this chain was unexplored in 1851, and of course there was room
for almost any development within such wide limits.

Warned by events in New South Wales, the governments of the other
Australian colonies had made preparations for the crisis. Western
Australia was too remote to be much affected; and her newly arrived
supply of convict labor rendered her contented. But South Australia and
Tasmania suffered severely from the drain of population, which set in
toward the diggings.

In South Australia, the effect was in some districts almost as if a
pestilence had swept away the men, leaving the women and children
untouched.