First Gold Discovery in Australia

Date: February 15, 1823 • Location: South Bathurst, Australia

James McBrien made the first official discovery of gold in Australia at Fish River in New South Wales.

During the Australian gold rushes, a significant number of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of New South Wales had suppressed the news out of the fear that it would reduce the workforce and destabilise the economy.