Australians and the Gold Rush

Australians and the Gold Rush: California and Down Under 1849-1854 vividly recounts the dramatic intersection of two worlds during the California Gold Rush. Beginning with the arrival of news about gold in Sydney in December 1848, the narrative introduces John Fairfax, editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, whose skepticism about "California fever" mirrors a broader societal ambivalence. The discovery of gold, initially treated with intrigue and doubt, quickly turned into a commercial opportunity for merchants like Robert Towns, who leveraged the rush to offload surplus goods to San Francisco. This richly detailed account captures the social and economic tensions of the time—ranging from class divides and labor unrest in Australia to the calculated opportunism of merchants and shipowners capitalizing on trans-Pacific trade.

The book also highlights the cultural dynamics between Australians and Americans, with Fairfax embodying a British disdain for American democracy while grappling with the transformative potential of the gold rush. Amid the flurry of advertisements, speculations, and passenger arrangements, the departure of the first gold seekers marked the beginning of Australia's connection to California’s historic gold fields. Drawing on the colorful characters, bustling Circular Wharf scenes, and the broader geopolitical context, Australians and the Gold Rush paints a compelling picture of the profound economic and social shifts spurred by the lure of California's gold.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966. See more