Australian Gold Rushes - Timeline

Background:- gold was discovered in California in 1847 and sparked the Californian gold rushes. Small amounts of gold had been found around Bathurst/Hill End prior to the first gold rush in 1851.

There were a number of gold strikes in many states of Australia. There were a few small gold strikes prior to the big on in 1851.

This is a 'brief' timeline.

1839 - Paul Strzelecki (named Mt Kosciusko) found small amounts of gold around Hartley N.S.W.
1840 - small amounts of gold found in Strathloddon, Victoria.
1844 - another small find at Hartley, N.S.W.
1846 - gold found in Montecute, South Australia.
1849 - gold found at Glenmona Station near Maryborough, Victoria.
1851 Feb - Gold was discovered by Edward Hammond Hargraves at a site near Orange, N.S.W. called Ophir, and this started the first big Gold Rush in Australia.
1851 - gold found near Ophir at Hill End, N.S.W.

1851 June 28 - gold discovered in Clunes, Victoria.
1851 July - Warrandyte, at Anderson's Creek, Victoria.
1851 July 20 - gold found at Castlemaine, Victoria. 
1851 Aug 2 - gold found at Buninyong, near Ballarat, Victoria.
1851 Aug 8 - gold found at Ballarat, Victoria and within 6 weeks more than 10,000 people were gold mining.
1851 Oct - gold found in Bendigo, Victoria.

1852 Feb - gold found in Beechworth, Victoria.
1852 May - gold found at Yackandandah, Victoria.
1852 May - gold found at Eaglehawk, Victoria. 
1852 - gold found at Omeo, Victoria.
1852 - gold found at Heathcote, Victoria.
1852 - gold found at Tilba, N.S.W.
1852 Oct - gold found at Onkaparinga, South Australia.
1853 Feb - gold found at Walhalla, Victoria.
1853 June - gold found at Maldon, Victoria.
1853 July - gold found at Buckland River, Victoria.
1853 Aug 3 - gold found at Waranga, Victoria.
1853 - gold found at Creswick, Victoria.
1854 - miners in Ballarat, Victoria were rioting about having to pay for gold licences. This led to the Eureka Stockade.
1854 Oct - gold found at Ararat, Victoria.
1855 Feb - gold found at Blackwood, Victoria.
1855 - gold found at St Arnaud, Victoria.
1857 - gold found at Stawell, Victoria.
1858 - gold found at Chiltern, Victoria.
1858 - gold found at Rockhampton, Queensland.
1859 - gold found at Barkly, Victoria.
1860 Jan - gold found at Kiandra, N.S.W.
1860 June - gold found at Young, N.S.W.
1861 June - gold found at Forbes, N.S.W.
1862 - gold found at Parkes, N.S.W.
1862 - gold found at Wood's Point, Victoria.
1867 - gold found by James Nash at Gympie, Queensland.
1870 - gold found at Gulgong, N.S.W.
1871 - gold found at Pine Creek, Northern Territory.
1871 Dec 25 - gold found at Ravenswood, Queensland.
1872 - gold found at Charters Towers, Queensland.
1873 - gold found at Palmer River (near Cooktown), Queensland.
1875 - gold found at Hodgkinson River (near Cairns), Queensland.
1875 - gold found at Mount Morgan, Queensland.
1878 - gold found at Coen, Queensland.
1885 - gold found at Hall's Creek, Western Australia.
1885 - gold found at Croydon, Queensland.
1886 - gold found at Teetulpa, South Australia.
1888 - gold found in The Pilbara, Western Australia.
1888 - gold found at Southern Cross, Western Australia.
1892 Sept 17 - gold found at Coolgardie, Western Australia.
1893 - gold found at West Wyalong, N.S.W.
1893 June 14 - gold found at Kalgoorlie Western Australia.

Some say that the first gold found in Australia was May 1823, and Governor Bligh said to keep it quiet. That can not be true as William Bligh died in 1817 - You see, one can't believe everything you read on the internet!! 

Useful Websites

History Today

Education ABC

Kids Britannica

Australian Geographic

Paul Strzelecki

Kiddle

Teach your child to think.

Mrs Hale.

Eureka Stockade

The Eureka Stockade was a battle that took place between the gold miners and the Victorian Government on December 3, 1854 in Ballarat, Victoria.

Day 1.Writing:(pre unit) Write what you know about the Eureka Stockade.

BACKGROUND

Gold was discovered in Victoria in the early 1850's. This led to thousands of people moving to the goldfields in search of their fortune. The first gold in Ballarat was discovered near the bank of Canadian Creek at Golden Point (also known as Poverty Point) late August 1851. The gold found was alluvial gold, gold deposited by water movement.

The Government made all miners pay a high fee for their license and had it checked twice a week instead of once a month. The miners thought this was very unfair, and many fights broke out between the miners and the police when the police came to collect license money or to check licenses. The miners were also upset about not being allowed to vote.

Day 1.Comprehension:

1. What is a stockade? (if student doesn't know get them to look it up in a dictionary) a barrier made of sticks to keep people or animals in or out.

2. When was gold found in Ballarat? Aug 1851.

3. Why was there unrest with the miners? The miners were upset with the cost of the mining license and the weekly inspections and fines by the inspectors.

4. Where did the first miners find the gold? Along the banks of the Canadian Creek.

5. What was this gold called? Alluvial

Day 2.Writing: (prediction) Write what you would like to know about the Eureka Stockade.

Day 2. Go to Defining Moments: Eureka Stockade.

Read Eureka Stockade by Alan Boardman

Day 2 Comprehension

Day 3 - discuss writings and reading from yesterday. Discuss the timeline (link with mathematics), look at a map.

TIMELINE

1851 June - gold found near Clunes, north of Ballarat 

1851 Aug 21-24 - gold discovered in Ballarat, Victoria.

1851 Sept 20 - first gold licenses issued.

1852 Aug - Eureka Lead found.

1854 Sept 13 - Governor Hotham ordered twice weekly license checks.

1854 Oct 7 - miner James Scobie murdered near Eureka Hotel.

1854 Oct 9 - James Bentley accused of murder.

1854 Oct 12 - James Bentley aquitted.

1854 Oct 15 - mass meeting on miners on Bakery Hill.

1854 Oct 17 - miners set fire to Bentley's Eureka Hotel.

1854 Nov 11 - miners form Ballarat Reform League.

1854 Dec 1 - stockade was built.

1854 Dec 3 - police and government soldiers attack the stockade.

1854 Dec 4 funerals for miners and soldiers.

1855 Feb - 13 miners brought to trial and all are aquitted.

1855 Mar - Goldfields Commission Report handed down.

1856 Jan 11 - Peter Lalor elected to the Victorian Legislative Council.

Day 3 Watch BTH video - discuss

Day 3 Read Eureka Stockade again.

Day 3 Writing - Students create a timeline using the text. Hint: use a highlighter to show the key dates / points.

Day 4 Read the text again.

Day 4 Writing - Students write a simple narrative retelling the story.

Day 5 Look at and question / discuss picture from websites about the Eureka Stockade.
Day 5 Writing - Write why the Eureka Stockade was important to Australian history.

THE EUREKA FLAG
The Eureka Flag was made in 1854 by Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke and Anastasia Hayes, from a design by a Canadian miner 'Captain' Henry Ross. It is made of wool and cotton and was first flown at a rally at Bakery Hill on 29^th November 1854.
Dark blue background.
A central white cross  - representing the Celtic connection.
Five eight-pointed stars - represents the Southern Cross constellation. 

Day 5 Writing: What does the Eureka Flag symbolise? Draw it. 

SPELLING

eureka      stockade     democracy     conflict     Ballarat

rebellion     Victoria     license     demonstration     goldfield

alluvial     

Day 1. Pre Test - write incorrect words three times.

Day 2. Test - write word derivations for each word. e.g. stockade, stockades. democracy, democracies, democratic. N.B. can't use: eureka, Ballarat, alluvial.

Day 3. Test - write the words in alphabetical order.

Day 4. Test - write the words in sentences.

Day 5. Test.

Helpful Websites

Britanica Kids - has audio of the text

Behind the News

Kiddle

Fuse Education  

My Place

Year 5 History - Australian Curriculum
National Museum of Australia

EurekaSydney

Seven Times Tables and division

Children (and adults) often have difficulty with 7 and 8 times tables. I'm not sure why, maybe because it is a prime number, I just don't know. 

We are working on 7 times tables this week at home. 

We have a times table chart hung up on the back of the toilet door and with a captive audience the kids can rote learn the tables, but not necessarily understand how it works.  

Some helpful websites:
Snappy Maths
The School Run - a paid subscription.
Math Salamanders
Ed Place
Dr Mike's Math Games for Kids

Those who know how to think, need no teachers - Mahatma Gandhi.

Teach your child to think.

Mrs Hale.