1851 in Australia

1851 in Australia

"See also:"
1850 in Australia,
other events of 1851,
1852 in Australia,
1853 in Australia,
1854 in Australia,and the
Timeline of Australian history.

1851 in Australia was a watershed year. It saw the start of the Australian gold rushes with significant gold discoveries in both New South Wales and Victoria. As a result of the Gold Rushes, the European population of Victoria increased from 97,489 in 1851 to 538,628 in 1861 and the population of NSW increased from 197,265 in 1851 to 350,860 in 1861. ["Encyclopedia of Australia" 1996, pages 30-31] Victoria became a self-governing colony. Sentiment in the eastern Australian colonies moved decisively against penal transportation leading to the end of transportation to Tasmania in 1853.

Incumbents

Governors

Governors of the Australian colonies:
*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy
*Governor of Queensland - "(office first formed in 1859)"
*Governor of South Australia - Sir Henry Fox Young
*Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania - Sir William Denison
*Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria - Charles La Trobe; "(office first formed in 1851)"
*Governor of Western Australia as a Crown Colony - Captain Charles Fitzgerald.

Events

January-March

* January 13 - Charles Augustus FitzRoy commissioned as "Governor-General of all Her Majesty's Australian possessions". This position was a forerunner of the Governor-General of Australia.
* February 6 - "Black Thursday" as bushfires rage from Mount Gambier to Melbourne. Fires covered a quarter of what is now the state of Victoria, approximately 50,000 km². Areas affected include Portland, the Plenty Ranges to the north of Melbourne, Westernport, the Wimmera and Dandenong districts. Approximately 12 people died, one million sheep and thousands of cattle were lost.
* February 11 - Tasmania plays Victoria in the first inter-colonial cricket match.
* February 12 - Edward Hargraves finds gold near Bathurst, starting the first of many Australian gold rushes.
* February 28 - Formation of an Anti-Transportation League from anti-transportation organisations in Victoria and Tasmania.

April - June

* April 7 - Edward Hargraves proclaims the discovery of gold at Ophir, New South Wales. The gold was actually discovered by William Tom and John Lister.
* April 10 - The NSW Association for Preventing the Renewal of Transportation sends a petition to Queen Victoria.
* May 28 - The arrival of two convict ships, the "Lady Kenneway" with 249 male prisoners and "Blackfriars" with 260 female prisoners, further turns Tasmanian sentiment against transportation.
* June 14 - Gold found on the Turon River, New South Wales which proves to be the richest NSW goldfield.

July - September

* July 1 - Victoria becomes a separate colony.
* July 5 - James Esmond announces the discovery of gold at Clunes, Victoria leading to the start of the Victorian Gold Rush.
* July 7 - News of the discovery of gold at Clunes, Victoria is published in the Geelong Advertiser.
* July 10 - A public meeting in Hobart, one of the largest ever held in Tasmania, calls for the end of transportation.
* July 14 - Sir William Denison, Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania writes to Earl Grey supporting a continuation of transportation.
* July 15 - Charles La Trobe appointed as first Lieutenant Governor of Victoria.
* July 22 - Northern NSW landholders write to Earl Grey calling for Northern NSW to become a separate colony with transportation of labour. They complain of a shortage of labour due to men going to the goldfields.
* July 29 - 1500 people attend a public meeting to oppose transportation organised by the Australasian League
* August 2 - Gold is first discovered in Ballarat, Victoria, leading to the Victorian gold rush.
* August 4 - The Governor of Western Australia complains of receiving too many convicts as 300 ticket-of-leave men arrive unexpectedly.

October - December

* October 31 - The New South Wales Legislative Council votes unanimously against transportation "in any form whatsoever, to any part of Her Majesty's Australian possessions".
* December 4 - Charles LaTrobe forwards a Victorian Legislative Council motion passed unanimously opposing further transportation.
* December 15 - 14,000 gold miners met at Forest Creek near Castlemaine. The Miners Flag or 'Diggers Banner' was flown for the first time at this meeting.

ee also

*1851
*1850s

References

* Australian Geographic "Encyclopedia of Australia 1996 Volume 1 page 30
* Encyclopedia of Australian Events, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, © Bryce Fraser and The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd 1997, © MacquarieNet 2002 (online edition) retrieved 14 June 2006


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