1853 Black Map of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia with Gold Deposits

This is an 1853 Adam and Charles Black map of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, Australia. Updated because of intense interest surrounding the Australian Gold Rush, the region's gold deposits are highlighted in yellow. Twenty counties in New South Wales are numerically identified and correspond to a reference situated in the lower right corner. A handful of counties appear in South Australia around Adelaide and St. Vincent Gulf. All these counties are concentrated along the coastline with little inland detail, apart from river network in New South Wales.

Australian Gold Rush of 1851

Gold was known to be present in Australia prior to 1851, but the intentional suppression of this information by the colonial government of New South Wales prevented all-out gold rushes. When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, California, in 1848, causing the California Gold Rush, countless Australians migrated in search of their fortunes. Desirous of maintaining their dwindling work force, the colonial governors rethought their position, and sought approval from the Colonial Office in England to allow the exploitation of the mineral resources and also offered rewards for the finding of payable gold. This led to the first major Australian gold rush when prospector Edward Hargraves discovered gold at Ophir, near Orange. A series of subsequent discoveries followed, transforming the Australian economy and leading to a rush of new immigration.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by William Hughes and published by Adam and Charles Black in the 1853 edition of their Black's General Atlas. The separate map appears in eight institutional collections in OCLC and the atlas is well represented institutionally.