German emigration at the time of the Australian gold rush

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The German emigration to Australia at the time of the Australian gold rush from 1851 to 1861 was only the third largest compared to that from Great Britain and China, with around 20,000 emigrants from several German states. Nevertheless, the German migrants were the largest and most influential group of continental Europeans who dug for gold in the gold fields of Victoria and New South Wales in terms of their influence and the lasting impact on Australian culture .

The history of the gold rush in Australia

The gold rush in Australia began in 1851 with the publication of gold discoveries by gold digger Edward Hammond Hargraves north of the Australian city of Guyong in New South Wales by the Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald .

The first gold finder in Australia was the Irish surveyor James McBrien near Bathurst in 1823. He was followed by the Polish explorer and explorer Paul Edmund de Strzelecki with a find near Hartley in 1839 and the geologist William Branwhite Clarke in 1844 near the town of Lithgow . However, the Australian colonial government under Captain Charles La Trobe feared that the publication of the findings would lead to rioting and chaos in the former British prisoner colony, and therefore kept the findings secret for the time being.

The finds of Edward Hammond Hargraves in 1851

A gold coin and a gold nugget

Edward Hammond Hargraves was born on October 7, 1816 in the English city of Gosport and immigrated to Australia at the age of 17 to lead a life as a cattle farmer near the city of Bathurst . When the news of the erupted California gold rush reached Sydney in December 1848 , Hargraves boarded the Elizabeth Arden in July 1849 to join the California gold prospectors. After 78 days at sea, he reached the port of San Francisco in October 1849 . His search for gold in California was only marginally successful; however, he noticed that the geographic and geological characteristics of the California gold rushes resembled an area north of the Australian city of Guyong. After a year in California, Hargraves returned to his homeland on January 7, 1851 and immediately set out to look for gold in the area west of his hometown Bathurst. In March 1851 he found 16 grams of gold by panning for gold in the Lewis Ponds River. On the way back, Hargraves spread the news of the gold discovery. On May 2, 1851, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article about his gold discoveries. This started the Australian gold rush .

The gold rush in Australia

After the gold discoveries were made public, the news spread like wildfire in Australia and settlers poured into the Bathurst gold fields from all parts of the colony . Above all, the government of the newly formed colony of Victoria on July 1, 1851 feared a threat to its existence from the mass migration to the neighboring colony of New South Wales . It set up a Gold Discovery Committee that promised the first gold discoverer in Victoria £ 200 as a reward. As a result, the area around Melbourne was intensively searched for gold until several gold veins were discovered near Ballarat and Bendigo in July / August 1851 . By 1852, gold diggers were digging 16 million pounds of gold from these veins, far exceeding gold discoveries in New South Wales and California .

Further course of the Australian gold rush

Gold was found in Tasmania in 1852, in Queensland in 1858, in the Northern Territory in 1871 , in various locations in Western Australia in 1885, and particularly in the Western Australian cities of Kalgoorie , Boulder and Coolgardie in the 1890s .

German migration to Australia (1851–1861)

News of the gold discoveries in Australia first spread to Great Britain - the Times reported on September 2, 1851 under the heading The Gold Fever in Australia - and from there to mainland Europe , the United States of America and China . When the German newspapers and agencies reported on the gold discoveries in Australia, they aroused the hope, especially in the lower middle class, of being able to lead a better life in Australia than in the German states.

German emigration before the time of the gold rush only referred to family and (worker) groups, but changed with the beginning of the gold rush to single or chain emigration, as there are now more and more unmarried men between the ages of 20 and 30 when gold diggers or agricultural workers came to Australia. A few years later, the bounty system was introduced in Tasmania , in which the employer paid for the employee's crossing and in return the employee undertook to work for several years and unpaid . The bounty system made it possible for people from the lower classes of the German states to consider crossing to Australia for the first time. The colony of Queensland also introduced a new system of land orders in 1861 in order to attract immigrants from Europe for agricultural work and thus to open up the rural area. These land orders were securities that the immigrants received on arrival and that the colonial government assigned them to colonize land in Queensland. They got the land for almost the same price as their crossing and paid it back with taxes and labor.

From Germany to Australia

The emigration itself took place by sea. The ports of the cities of Hamburg , Wilhelmshaven , Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven were the largest contact points for emigrants to Australia from all German states . The ports of Antwerp and Liverpool were known for their cheap prices, but also for their lack of food and comfort on the ships sailing there. The German shipping companies had much stricter requirements from their governments compared to the English and Dutch, which was reflected in the higher ticket prices; however, they guaranteed that there was always enough food on board for all passengers on the crossing. In the German coastal cities, the emigrants went with their little luggage because, depending on the passenger class, they often only had half a cubic meter of storage space on board the ships.

In the 1830s, the Americans developed a new type of ship known as the Clipper , which was larger, faster, and more ocean-going than its predecessor. Thanks to the Clipper, a new route to Australia could now be driven, called “The Great Circle Route”, which shortened the route from Liverpool to Adelaide from 120 to 76 days.

The three-masted schooner Amphitrite of the American type Clipper

German immigrants from 1850 to 1861 in numbers

The number of German migrants at the time of the gold rush is estimated at 5,000 to 10,000 in the years 1850 to 1860. From 1849 to 1851 seven ships landed directly from Hamburg in the port of Melbourne ; From 1853 to 1855 the number grew to a total of 42 ships from Hamburg. However, most of the German immigrants did not come to Victoria by German, but by English, French and Belgian ships .

A total of 10,418 German immigrants lived in Victoria in 1861 (in 1850 there were still around 4,000), in New South Wales 5467 and in Queensland 2124. From 1854 to 1855 five German emigration ships called at the Tasmanian ports of Hobart and Launceston and brought 858 people ashore there . Most of the German emigrants came from East Prussia , followed by Württemberg , Kurhessen and Schleswig-Holstein . Overall, the population of Australia tripled between 1850 and 1860 and grew to 1.2 million inhabitants.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 117 .
  2. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 108 .
  3. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 104 .
  4. ↑ James McBrien, Caroline Chisholm and Ned Kelly, Shaping Australian Heritage, Gold fever and the Eureka rebellion, SOSE: History Year 9, QLD | Online Education Home Schooling Skffekt Australia. Retrieved January 22, 2019 .
  5. ^ Gerhard Leitner: History of Australia . Reclam, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-15-011066-9 , pp. 98 .
  6. ^ Albrecht Hagemann: Brief history of Australia . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63516-8 , pp. 65 .
  7. ^ Gerhard Leitner: History of Australia . Reclam, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-15-011066-9 , pp. 98 .
  8. ^ Albrecht Hagemann: Brief history of Australia . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63516-8 , pp. 65 .
  9. ^ Gerhard Leitner: History of Australia . Reclam, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-15-011066-9 , pp. 98 .
  10. ↑ David Hill: The Goldrush . William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 2 .
  11. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 2-3, 5 .
  12. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 5 .
  13. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 8 .
  14. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 7 .
  15. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 9-15 .
  16. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 13 .
  17. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 16-19 .
  18. ^ Albrecht Hagemann: Brief history of Australia . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63516-8 , pp. 65-66 .
  19. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 103 .
  20. ^ Sarah Matthews: Research Guides: Victoria's early history, 1803-1851: Timeline. Retrieved January 19, 2019 .
  21. ^ Albrecht Hagemann: Brief history of Australia . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63516-8 , pp. 65-66 .
  22. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 103 .
  23. ^ Albrecht Hagemann: Brief history of Australia . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63516-8 , pp. 66 .
  24. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 103 .
  25. ^ Albrecht Hagemann: Brief history of Australia . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63516-8 , pp. 66 .
  26. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 103 .
  27. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 253 .
  28. ^ Gerhard Leitner: History of Australia . Reclam, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-15-011066-9 , pp. 100 .
  29. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 254 .
  30. ^ Gerhard Leitner: History of Australia . Reclam, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-15-011066-9 , pp. 100 .
  31. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 88 .
  32. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 103 .
  33. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 107 .
  34. ↑ Annette Haubold: All people are the same there. German emigration to America in the 19th and 20th centuries . 1st edition. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-590-18169-9 , pp. 25-27 .
  35. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 107 .
  36. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 106 .
  37. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 224 .
  38. ↑ THE LAND ORDER SYSTEM IN QUEENSLAND. In: Courier (Brisbane, Qld.: 1861–1864) . Brisbane, Qld. October 14, 1862, p. 4 ( gov.au [accessed February 3, 2019]).
  39. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 223 .
  40. ^ Emigrants from the Schönecken office in the 19th and 20th centuries. Retrieved January 20, 2019 .
  41. ^ Emigrants from the Schönecken office in the 19th and 20th centuries. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  42. ^ Emigrants from the Schönecken office in the 19th and 20th centuries. Retrieved January 20, 2019 .
  43. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 98 .
  44. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 99 .
  45. ↑ David Hill: Gold! William Heinemann, North Sydney, NSW 2011, ISBN 978-1-86471-130-1 , pp. 100 .
  46. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 104-105 .
  47. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 221 .
  48. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 104 .
  49. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 221 .
  50. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 221 .
  51. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 104 .
  52. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 221 .
  53. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 104 .
  54. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 221 .
  55. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 105 .
  56. ↑ Klaus J. Bade: Germans Abroad, Strangers in Germany. Migration in the past and present . CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35961-2 , p. 224 .
  57. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 106 .
  58. ↑ Australia - regionalgeschichte.net. Retrieved January 20, 2019 .
  59. ↑ Arnold Beuke: advertising and warning. Australia as a destination for German emigrants in the 19th century . P. Lang, Bern 1999, ISBN 3-906763-76-5 , p. 102 .