Bill Ling a local resident and enthusiast on gold in Victoria spoke on the fever that enveloped the country on the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851.
Men from all over the world descended on Melbourne which grew from a isolated colonial town to a large and prosperous city in the 1880's due to the influx of money and population largely based on gold.
When the easy pickings of alluvial gold near the surface was taken, many people by 1855 were disillusioned and together with the problems caused by hardships, illness and the chaotic state of society on the goldfields, returned to the city.
Ballarat and Bendigo became large provincial cities with grandiose public buildings and opulent private homes which contrasted with the shanties and tents lived in by the ordinary miners.
Bill commented on gold in the Clunes area, also the Gaffney's Creek Wood's Point district as well as the Walhalla Goldfields.
2000 09 DTHS Newsletter
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