Gold Escorts were common across Australian goldfields, transporting mined and processed material from mines to banks and mints across the country.
They were important in safely transporting gold, and were in most cases carried out by police assisted units. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
During the Victorian Gold Rush of the 1850s, a special armed detachment from South Australia provided a 'Gold Escort' for the secure transportation of gold overland from the western Victorian gold fields to Adelaide. The first gold escort led by Alexander Tolmer (a 'colourful' character who later became the South Australian Police Commissioner [6] ) departed Victoria on 5 March 1852 carrying 5,199 ounces (150 kg) of gold and arrived in Adelaide two weeks later. [7] Eventually, eighteen trips were made between 1852 and 1853 transporting 328,502 ounces (9,310 kg) of gold. [7] The Victorian-goldfields to Adelaide route was notable for the distance and amount of gold carried, almost a quarter of all gold, 1,520,578 ounces (43,110 kg), transported within Victoria during the gold rush (1851-1865). [8]
The Gold Escort route started in the Bendigo area and then went west across the Pyrenees to the small settlement of Horsham. From Horsham, the route passed north-west through the Little Desert region into South Australian territory and then ran roughly parallel with the coast to Adelaide. [9]
There are many forms of transport in Australia. Australia is highly dependent on road transport. There are more than 300 airports with paved runways. Passenger rail transport includes widespread commuter networks in the major capital cities with more limited intercity and interstate networks. The Australian mining sector is reliant upon rail to transport its product to Australia's ports for export.
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capital for Melbourne, which was dubbed "Marvellous Melbourne" as a result of the procurement of wealth.
Dukes Highway is a 190 kilometre highway corridor in South Australia, which is part of the link between the Australian cities of Adelaide and Melbourne. It is part of the National Highway system spanning Australia, and is signed as route A8.
Horsham is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of the state capital Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, Horsham had a population of 20,429. It is the most populous city in Wimmera, and the main administrative centre for the Rural City of Horsham local government area. It is the eleventh largest city in Victoria after Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wodonga, Mildura, Shepparton, Warrnambool, Traralgon, and Wangaratta.
Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the 2021 census, Beechworth had a population of 3,290.
Bordertown, formerly Border Town, is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's east near the state border with Victoria about 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of the state capital of Adelaide. It is where the Dukes Highway and the railway line cross the Tatiara Creek between Adelaide and Melbourne, the capital of Victoria.
Samuel Thomas Gill, also known by his signature S.T.G., was an English-born Australian artist.
Mount Alexander is a mountain located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level. Being a prominent local landmark, the mountain has its name associated with the surrounding district once known as the Mount Alexander goldfields, and presently defined as the Shire of Mount Alexander, centred on Castlemaine. Most of the mountain is included within the boundaries of the Mount Alexander Regional Park managed by Parks Victoria. The Djadjawurrung name for the mountain is Lanjanuc.
James William Esmond was an Irish-Australian gold prospector and miner, and was one of the first people to discover gold in Australia.
John Francis was one of a party of bushrangers who held up the Melbourne Private Escort Company's regular escort of gold from the McIvor diggings at Heathcote, Victoria and Kyneton on the morning of 20 July 1853. At least six men were involved, five of whom including Francis and his brother, George Francis, were apprehended. His brother committed suicide while in custody, but by turning Queen's Evidence, Francis escaped punishment and the other three companions were hanged.
Milparinka is a small settlement in north-west New South Wales, Australia, about 250 kilometres (155 mi) north of Broken Hill on the Silver City Highway. At the time of the 2016 census, Milparinka had a population of 77 people. Milparinka is on Evelyn Creek.
Rocky River is a locality in northern New South Wales, Australia near the town of Uralla on the Northern Tablelands plateau.
Laurie Taylor was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for the Richmond Football Club and in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) for West Adelaide and Glenelg Football Clubs.
Alexander Tolmer was a South Australian police officer and Police Commissioner. He was educated at Plymouth, Rouen, Maidstone and Hawkhurst. He migrated to South Australia in 1840 where he was made sub-inspector by Governor George Gawler.
Frederick Henry Litchfield, pastoralist, gold miner, explorer, usually known as Fred, is a South Australian prominently associated with the early exploration of the Northern Territory, and more particularly with the discovery of gold there.
During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of New South Wales had suppressed the news out of the fear that it would reduce the workforce and destabilise the economy.
The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) provides services to professionals engaged in all facets of the global minerals sector and is based in Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
New South Wales experienced the first gold rush in Australia, a period generally accepted to lie between 1851 and 1880. This period in the history of New South Wales resulted in a rapid growth in the population and significant boost to the economy of the colony of New South Wales. The California Gold Rush three years prior signaled the impacts on society that gold fever would produce, both positive and negative. The New South Wales colonial government concealed the early discoveries, but various factors changed the policy.
George Hamilton, was a pioneer overlander, artist, settler, and police officer in the Colony of South Australia, serving as Commissioner of Police for fifteen years.
John Acraman was a prominent businessman in the colony of South Australia, and has a place in the history of Australian football in that State.
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