Australia First Gold Rush 175th Anniversary 2026 $100 1oz Gold Proof Coin

Celebrating the 175^th anniversary of the first Gold Rush – beginning when gold was discovered at Ophir in NSW in 1851 – this 99.99% pure gold coin from the Perth Mint is to be enjoyed by the select few. The limited edition is a mere 155 coins!

With a staggering £124 million worth of gold found in the first decade, the Gold Rush was one of the most important events in Australian history. With thousands of people heading to Australia in a bid to strike it rich, the population rose from 430,000 in 1851 to 1.7 million in 1871, ensuring huge growth in trade, agriculture, transport and communication. A country literally built from gold, the Gold Rush set the colonies on the road to unity, with nationhood achieved at Federation in 1901.

Struck to Proof quality from 1oz of pure, glittering 99.99% gold, this prestigious Perth Mint release is graced with a richly symbolic design. Bearing a dot representing Ophir, the map of Australia on the reverse is surrounded by an array of motifs capturing life on the goldfields – a crossed pick & shovel, a lantern, a pitched tent, a wheelbarrow, a miner panning for gold, a bucket, and a cradle box. Official Australian legal tender, the official portrait of King Charles III adorns the obverse.

Sure to create a new Gold Rush worldwide, our allocation from the limited edition of just 155 coins is tiny. Click add to cart now, and strike it rich in 99.99% gold!

The Gold Rush – a watershed in Australian history…

More gold was produced during the 19th century than in the preceding 5,000 years. The huge mining booms taking place around the world during this period took gold production to unprecedented heights, with Australia, of course, amongst the most significant sources.

Gold was discovered in New South Wales in 1851, with the Gold Rush beginning in Victoria soon after. The initial boom lasted a decade and a half, with the total output for the first ten years a staggering £124 million worth of gold – £110 million from Victoria. A seminal moment in the creation of the Australian nation, the most obvious impact of the 1850s Gold Rush was on population.

Around 430,000 people inhabited the colonies in 1851 – by 1861 it had risen to well over one million. In Victoria, the centre of the rush for gold, the population rose from 75,000 to 540,000 in ten years. Whilst benefitting some regions, the positive impact of the Gold Rush was not universal. In South Australia, for example, the prospect of finding gold in the east led to a severe exodus, and the colony fell into a labour crisis, a currency shortage and near-bankruptcy as a result.

After the chaos of the outbreak of ‘gold fever’, the discovery of the world’s favourite precious metal had a galvanising impact across the soon-to-be nation. The resulting rapid growth in trade, agriculture, transport and communication necessitated a sharp focus on responsible government, with colonial administrations now faced with demands from a growing population for roads, rail, water, land reform and more.

Forging a sense of national identity, sparking political awareness, and providing the wealth necessary for infrastructural development, the Gold Rush was the pivotal moment on Australia’s road to nationhood, ultimately achieved at Federation in 1901.