The discovery of gold at Ophir, New South Wales, and at Clunes, Victoria, in 1851 marked the beginning of Australia’s goldrushes. Migrants from all over the world brought new skills and professions, changing convict colonies into progressive cities. In response to racial conflict, colonial governments implemented the first wave of anti-Chinese legislation in Victoria (1855), South Australia (1857) and New South Wales (1861). These laws were repealed by 1867 after sustained resistance from Chinese people and their European allies.  

European explorers made their way across the continent in the 1860s, opening up land for pastoral and agricultural industries. However, in doing so, they hastened Indigenous dispossession and environmental change.