130 AUSTRALIAN PICTURES. 



The gold yield of Queensland, however, for many years after separation 

 was only trifling. In i860 the whole gold export of the colony was only 

 4127 ounces, and in 1862 it sunk to 189 ounces. But in 1868 a prospector 

 named Nash, travelling through the broken hilly country which forms the 

 upper watershed of Mary River, found 'prospects' in a gully, which induced 

 him to stay and try it. In a few days he rode into the sleepy seaport of 

 Maryborough — then a stagnant township with grass-grown streets — and 

 startled it by applying for a prospector's claim. In a few weeks the colony 

 rang with the news that a really rich alluvial gold-field had been found, and 

 in a few months from twelve to fifteen thousand people had congregated in 

 the field of Gympie. It was a very rich but a limited field, and, though 

 other neighbouring patches were opened out and worked, the alluvial deposits 

 were soon exhausted. But there was better than alluvial gold at Gympie. 

 The ridges were seamed with quartz reefs, which were proved to be richly 

 impregnated with metal ; and the gold yield from these reefs has been 

 constant and increasing ever since. In 1884 Gympie yielded 112,051 ounces 

 of gold, and it has given since it was first opened 1,043,131 ounces. 



The last great gold discovery in Queensland was that of the Palmer in 

 1874. In the preceding year, Mr. (now Sir Arthur) Palmer, being Premier, 

 sent out an exploring expedition to examine the unknown interior of the 

 Cape York peninsula. In this report the explorers mentioned that they had 

 found ' the colour ' in the bed of a river which they named after the Premier. 

 A party of four well-equipped northern miners acted on the hint. Carrying 

 with them plenty of provisions and spare horses, they set out to examine 

 the Palmer country, and soon found that the sand which overlays its rocky 

 bed and the gullies running into it were impregnated with gold. A great rush 

 ensued, and, though no very remarkable nuggets were discovered, and no 

 specially rich finds were made, the gold was everywhere near the surface, 

 and large quantities were unearthed. From its discovery to the end of 

 1884 the Palmer yielded 1,243,691 ounces. 



