1851 in Australia
Encyclopedia
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.
Melbourne
's major suburb/satellite city in the Dandenong Ranges
, Belgrave, Victoria
is first settled, making it the oldest town in the Dandenong Ranges
. It is 34 km east of Melbourne CBD.
:
1850 in Australia
1850 in Australia
See also:1849 in Australia,other events of 1850,1851 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
,
other events of 1851,
1852 in Australia
1852 in Australia
See also:1851 in Australia,other events of 1852,1853 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
,
1853 in Australia
1853 in Australia
See also:1850 in Australia,1851 in Australia,1852 in Australia,other events of 1853,1854 in Australia, and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
,
1854 in Australia
1854 in Australia
See also:1853 in Australia,other events of 1854,1855 in Australia, and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
,and the
Timeline of Australian history
Timeline of Australian history
This is a timeline of Australian history.-BC:*c. 68,000–40,000 BC: Aboriginal tribes are thought to have arrived in Australia.*c. 13,000 BC: Land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania are flooded. Tasmanian Aboriginal people become isolated for the next 12,000 – 13,000 years.*c...
.
1851 in Australia was a watershed year. It saw the start of the Australian gold rushes
Australian gold rushes
The Australian gold rush started in 1851 when prospector Edward Hammond Hargraves claimed the discovery of payable gold near Bathurst, New South Wales, at a site Edward Hargraves called Ophir.Eight months later, gold was found in Victoria...
with significant gold discoveries in both New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. 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
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
leading to the end of transportation to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1853.
Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's major suburb/satellite city in the Dandenong Ranges
Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
, Belgrave, Victoria
Belgrave, Victoria
Belgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Belgrave had a population of 4094...
is first settled, making it the oldest town in the Dandenong Ranges
Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
. It is 34 km east of Melbourne CBD.
Governors
Governors of the Australian coloniesGovernors of the Australian states
The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives of the Queen of Australia in each of that country's six states. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
:
- Governor of New South WalesGovernors of New South WalesThe Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her...
— Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoyCharles Augustus FitzRoySir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB was a British military officer, politician and member of the aristocracy, who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century.-Family and peerage:... - Governor of South AustraliaGovernors of South AustraliaThe Governor of South Australia is the representative in the Australian state of South Australia of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level.In...
— Sir Henry Fox YoungHenry YoungSir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861.-Early life:... - Lieutenant-Governor of TasmaniaGovernors of TasmaniaThe Governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia does at the national level.In accordance with the...
— Sir William DenisonWilliam DenisonSir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866.... - Lieutenant-Governor of VictoriaGovernors of VictoriaThe Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
— Charles La TrobeCharles La TrobeCharles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
; (office first formed in 1851) - Governor of Western Australia as a Crown ColonyGovernor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
— Captain Charles FitzgeraldCharles FitzgeraldCaptain Charles Fitzgerald was the Governor of The Gambia from 1844 until 1847, then Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855....
.
January–March
- 13 January — Charles Augustus FitzRoyCharles Augustus FitzRoySir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB was a British military officer, politician and member of the aristocracy, who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century.-Family and peerage:...
commissioned as "Governor-GeneralGovernor-GeneralA Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of all Her Majesty's Australian possessions". This position was a forerunner of the Governor-General of AustraliaGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. - 6 February — "Black Thursday" as bushfires rage from Mount GambierMount Gambier, South AustraliaMount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
to MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Fires covered a quarter of what is now the state of Victoria, approximately 50,000 km². Areas affected include PortlandPortland, VictoriaThe city of Portland is the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the main urban centre of the Shire of Glenelg. It is located on Portland Bay.-History:...
, the Plenty Ranges to the north of Melbourne, WesternportWestern PortWestern Port, is sometimes called "Western Port Bay", is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in Victoria. Geographically, it is dominated by the two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. Contrary to its name, it lies to...
, the WimmeraWimmeraThe Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
and DandenongDandenong RangesThe Dandenong Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
districts. Approximately 12 people died, one million sheep and thousands of cattle were lost. - 11 February — TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
plays VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in the first inter-colonial cricket match. - 12 February — Edward HargravesEdward HargravesEdward Hammond Hargraves was a gold prospector who claimed to have found gold in Australia in 1851, starting the Australian gold rush....
finds gold near BathurstBathurst, New South Wales-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, starting the first of many Australian gold rushesAustralian gold rushesThe Australian gold rush started in 1851 when prospector Edward Hammond Hargraves claimed the discovery of payable gold near Bathurst, New South Wales, at a site Edward Hargraves called Ophir.Eight months later, gold was found in Victoria...
. - 28 February — Formation of an Anti-Transportation League from anti-transportation organisations in Victoria and Tasmania.
April — June
- 7 April — Edward HargravesEdward HargravesEdward Hammond Hargraves was a gold prospector who claimed to have found gold in Australia in 1851, starting the Australian gold rush....
proclaims the discovery of gold at Ophir, New South WalesOphir, New South WalesOphir is the name of a locality in New South Wales, Australia in Cabonne Shire.Ophir is located near the Macquarie River northeast of the city of Orange...
. The gold was actually discovered by William Tom and John Lister. - 10 April — The NSW Association for Preventing the Renewal of Transportation sends a petition to Queen Victoria.
- 28 May — 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.
- 14 June — Gold found on the Turon River, New South Wales which proves to be the richest NSW goldfield.
July — September
- 1 July — Victoria becomes a separate colony.
- 5 July — James EsmondJames EsmondJames William Esmond , was an Irish-Australian gold prospector and miner, and was one of the first people to discover gold in Australia.-Early life:...
announces the discovery of gold at Clunes, VictoriaClunes, VictoriaClunes is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2006 census it had a population of 1,026.- History :...
leading to the start of the Victorian Gold RushVictorian gold rushThe Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. - 7 July — News of the discovery of goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
at ClunesClunes, VictoriaClunes is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2006 census it had a population of 1,026.- History :...
, Victoria is published in the Geelong AdvertiserGeelong AdvertiserThe Geelong Advertiser is a daily newspaper servicing Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the Bellarine Peninsula and surrounding areas. The Geelong Advertiser is the oldest newspaper title in Victoria and the second oldest in Australia, and was first published on 21 November 1840. The newspaper is...
. - 10 July — A public meeting in Hobart, one of the largest ever held in Tasmania, calls for the end of transportation.
- 14 July — Sir William DenisonWilliam DenisonSir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866....
, Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania writes to Earl GreyEarl GreyEarl Grey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. He had already been created Baron Grey, of Howick in the County of Northumberland, in 1801, and was made Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland, at the same time as...
supporting a continuation of transportation. - 15 July — Charles La TrobeCharles La TrobeCharles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
appointed as first Lieutenant Governor of Victoria. - 22 July — 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.
- 29 July — 1500 people attend a public meeting to oppose transportation organised by the Australasian League
- 2 August — GoldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
is first discovered in Ballarat, VictoriaBallarat, VictoriaBallarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
, leading to the Victorian gold rushVictorian gold rushThe Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. - 4 August — The Governor of Western Australia complains of receiving too many convicts as 300 ticket-of-leave men arrive unexpectedly.
October — December
- 31 October — The New South Wales Legislative CouncilNew South Wales Legislative CouncilThe New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
votes unanimously against transportation 'in any form what-so-ever, to any part of Her Majesty's Australian possessions'. - 4 December — Charles LaTrobe forwards a Victorian Legislative CouncilVictorian Legislative CouncilThe Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
motion passed unanimously opposing further transportation. - 15 December — 14,000 gold miners meet at Forest Creek near CastlemaineCastlemaine, VictoriaCastlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
. The Miners Flag or 'Diggers Banner' was flown for the first time at this meeting.