1. Gold rush migration
Year 5/6 MISS BLACK

2. W. A . L . T
By the end of the lesson students will define free immigration in relation to the Australian Gold Rush migration scheme.

3. What do we know about the gold rush? When was it?

4. The Australian gold rush
In 1851, a man named Edward Hargreaves made the first discovery of gold in Australia in a place called Ophir in NSW. This sparked the beginning of the gold rush
Why do you think that The Gold Rush would have brought migrants to Australia?

5. With the discovery of gold in 1851 and a booming economy in Australia, people began coming to Australia by choice.
People came from many countries, the majority of them from: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, America, China and Germany.
Prior to the discovery of gold, Australia has been a settlement with heavy reliance on the wheat and wool industries.
The vast majority of these people went to Ballarat or Bendigo to mine for gold, although WA actually had more success during The Gold Rush
Immigrant influences

6. Learning activities: Find a partner
Go to
Read through one of the following sections each: The Australian Gold Rush, Gold Rush Colony and Object Through Time

7. Assessment:
As part of your assessment for this unit, you will be creating a portfolio on the history of migration in Austraila. You need to include:
The Gold Rush Years (dates)
The date of the first Australian Immigration Act
Where migrants came from
Where the migrants went to for mining the gold, listed by state – use as a resource for this
In your own words, write a paragraph to answer “In what ways did The Gold Rush and immigration during this period shape Australia’s development?” Hint: think about population growth (and the need for more jobs to support a larger population), the creation of roads/railways and other infrastructure to get people out to these rural mining towns, also think about the economy and how it relied on wool and wheat in previous years
1855

8. Think, pair, share
Think about the excitement of new immigrants and their joy as they arrived to dig gold! But – how do you think the Aboriginal communities felt as they looked on?