Industrial Pioneers 263 



Australia to reap a full advantage of the golden 

 awakening that was to follow. 



The discovery of gold did not take place until 

 1851, but rumours of the existence of the precious 

 metal were current long before that date. The 

 search for it was steadily discouraged by the 

 Government, which feared the effect of so unset- 

 tling a discovery upon the population, then 

 largely composed of convicts. But the golden 

 discoveries made in California in 1848 drew atten- 

 tion to the possibilities of Australia, and it was 

 inevitable that the secrets still held by the soil 

 must sooner or later be brought to light. The 

 instrument of the discovery was Edward Har- 

 graves, a New South Wales settler who had been 

 attracted to the Californian coast by the tales of 

 treasure to be dug out of the earth in hatfuls. 

 Hargraves got little gold in California, but he 

 got an idea which afterwards proved highly 

 profitable to him. He was quick to notice how 

 the gold-bearing regions of California resembled 

 country he had seen in New South Wales, both 

 in the characteristics of soil and of rocks, and he 

 argued that gold would probably be found in 

 such country in Australia. Thither he returned, 

 determined to verify his conclusion. He has 

 left an interesting account of his find. He deter- 

 mined to "prospect" in Summer Hill Creek, a 

 tributary of the Macquarie River, and he met 

 with success almost at his first trial. On Febru- 

 ary 12, 1851, he found alluvial gold at this spot. 



