Was Your Ancestor an Australian Digger?

Was your Australian ancestor a digger? If he/she arrived in Australia during the 1850s or in Western Australia during the 1890s, it is certainly a possibility! Hundreds of thousands of new settlers descended on Australia, especially Victoria, during the 1850s after gold was discovered in 1851  near Bathurst, New South Wales, and in Ballarat, Buninyong and Bendigo Creek in Victoria. In the 1890s, the rich gold fields of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie attracted yet another large influx of immigrants. Not only did the promise of gold lure diggers, but also tradesman, shop keepers, house servants and others necessary for a rapidly growing settlement. Learn more in Researching Australian Gold Rush Immigrants.