1851 in Australia
See also: 1850 in Australia,
other events of 1851,
1852 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.
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 -
(office first formed in 1890)January-March
* 13 January
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.
* 6 February - "Black Thursday" as
bushfires rage from
Mount Gambier to
Melbourne.
* 28 February - formation of an
Anti-Transportation League from anti-transportation organisations in Victoria and Tasmania.
April - June
* 7 April
Edward Hargraves proclaims the discovery of gold at
Ophir, New South Wales. 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.
* 28-29 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 Esmond announces the discovery of gold at
Clunes, Victoria leading to the start of the
Victorian Gold Rush.
* 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 Denison, Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania writes to
Earl Grey supporting a continuation of transportation.
* 15 July
Charles La Trobe 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* 4 August 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.
*
1851*
1850s* 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
