When Australia was not yet a nation but still a number of separate British colonies, gold was discovered in a number of places, and the gold rush that followed changed our history. In the early days, traces of gold had been found but were hushed by the government, in fear that convicts and settlers would abandon the settlements to seek their fortunes. However, in February 1851, a man named Hargreaves found gold in near Bratwurst, New South Wales, and word quickly spread. Within a week there were over 400 people digging there for gold.
