Blood Gold: Native Police, Bushrangers, and Law and Order on the Goldfields

By Marji Hill

Gold! Hidden Stories of Australia's Past, Book 5

 

Gold discoveries in Australia created an unprecedented population explosion and with it came crime and lawlessness.

In Blood Gold Marji Hill, author of more than 70 publications, tells:

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• Language: English
• Publisher: The Prison Tree Press
• Release date: Aug 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645483499

Marji Hill

Marji Hill is a multi-talented individual with a rich background in business, research, and coaching. She has established herself as a prominent figure in the literary and artistic realms.Her journey into the world of Reconciliation and education began during her tenure as a Research Fellow in Education at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in Canberra. Marji's extensive body of work spanning over seventy books, predominantly focuses on Australia's First Nations people.Among her notable publications is the seminal bibliography Black Australia. She was Project Coordinator for the official Australian Government publication on First Nations people, Australian Aboriginal Culture. Collaborating with esteemed figures such as Al Grassby, Marji co-authored Six Australian Battlefields, an exploration of Australia's hidden history published by Angus and Robertson and later by Allen & Unwin.In 2000, Marji together with Alex Barlow published the nine-volume Macmillan Encyclopedia of Australia's Aboriginal Peoples, cementing her status as a leading authority in Indigenous studies. Her commitment to social justice is further exemplified in The Apology: Saying Sorry To The Stolen Generations. In recent years, Marji has expanded her literary repertoire to encompass self-improvement and self-help genres, offering insights into staying young, growing old, and finding inspiration from the natural world.Outside of her literary pursuits, Marji's passion for painting has been a lifelong endeavour. Trained formally at the ANU School of Art & Design in the 1980s, she has showcased her works in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Notably, her painting "Jupiter's Lucky Strike" commemorates the discovery of gold by First Nations boy Jupiter Mosman.Marji's artistic talents have garnered acclaim both nationally and internationally, with her paintings gracing private collections worldwide and being featured in institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Australian Catholic University collections.A seasoned traveller, Marji has journeyed extensively, offering her expertise as a consultant and motivational speaker while nurturing her artistic endeavours. She continues to inspire through her writing, painting, coaching, and publishing leaving an indelible mark on both the literary and artistic landscapes.

Book preview

Introduction

Blood Gold is about how gold discoveries in Australia created an unprecedented population explosion and with it came crime and lawlessness.

READ about law and order on the goldfields and how gold was a target for theft.

LEARN how the Native Police were used to enforce law and order.

FIND OUT about the expanding frontier and how the Native Police were used to disperse First Nations people from their lands to make way for colonisation.

DISCOVER Australia’s first Chinese bushranger, and

READ about some of Australia’s female bushrangers

and much more…

Chapter 1 ─ Lawlessness on the Goldfields

"As the discovery of gold created a population explosion

and a wealthy, liberal society

the course of Australian history was changed."

Marji Hill

A legacy of the gold discoveries in Australia was crime and lawlessness.

With the discovery of gold in 1851 thousands of frenzied migrants packed up their families and belongings, left their home countries, boarded ships, and took the long and dangerous journey to the other side of the world. They descended onto the goldfields spurred on by the hope of becoming rich and prosperous.

In New South Wales (NSW) an exodus from Sydney headed to the goldfields. Likewise, in Victoria as rich goldfields were found gold-seekers arrived in their masses.

Gripped by gold fever men and women tried their luck on the goldfields dreaming of a better life for themselves and their families.

Australia was the destination and by the end of 1851 ships were on their way to down under laden with men and women from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and others coming from Europe, the United States and China.

As the discovery of gold created a population explosion and a wealthy, liberal society the course of Australian history was changed.

On Wathaurung land, the epicentre for gold was Ballarat in Victoria which became the setting for one of the most dramatic episodes of all the great gold rushes - the Eureka rebellion.

In a confined space of a few hundred metres armies of prospectors went to work digging for gold. The lure of gold offered hope for a future life of prosperity.

The countryside was pockmarked with mining claims and while for some there was a bonanza as miners discovered huge quantities of gold for others there were claims that produced no gold at all.

Crime on the goldfields

As desperate diggers flooded the goldfields there was a huge increase in crime.

Gold attracted all kinds of people. There were ex-convicts who had been transported to Australia for breaking the law in Britain. There were petty thieves; there were bushrangers; and there were swindlers.

Gold was a target for theft.

In was during the gold rushes that bushranging gained momentum. The legendary bushranger became part of the Australian identity.

As large quantities of gold were found it was inevitable that the floodgates opened to crime. Not only did lawlessness become a feature of the goldfields but also anyone travelling between diggings became targets for robbery and violence.

Life was tough on the goldfields. Living conditions were cramped and rough. With people living in tents and shanties there were few comforts.

Tensions surfaced and fights broke out. There were robberies and in the midst of huge wealth, there was also poverty.

The goldfields were dangerous places. In the multicultural melting pot of the Ballarat goldfield, there was plenty of rivalry and fighting. Racism was rife and anti-Chinese sentiment grew.

Alcohol

Alcohol was a prominent feature of life on the goldfields. Water was heavily polluted and drinking it was dangerous so it was inevitable that many miners turned to alcohol as their drink of