{"product_id":"australias-first-gold-rush-175th-anniversary-2026-1oz-gold-proof-coin","title":"Australia First Gold Rush 175th Anniversary 2026 $100 1oz Gold Proof Coin","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eCelebrating the 175\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e 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!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;\"\u003eWith a staggering £124 million worth of gold found in the first decade, t\u003c\/span\u003ehe Gold Rush was one of the most important events in Australian history. \u003cspan style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;\"\u003eWith thousands of people heading to Australia in a bid to strike it rich, \u003c\/span\u003ethe population rose from 430,000 in 1851 to 1.7 million in 1871\u003cspan style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;\"\u003e, ensuring huge \u003c\/span\u003egrowth in trade, agriculture, transport and communication\u003cspan style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;\"\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003eA country literally built from gold, the Gold Rush set the colonies on the road to unity, with nationhood achieved at Federation in 1901.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eStruck 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 \u0026amp; 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSure 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!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Gold Rush – a watershed in Australian history…\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eMore 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eGold 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAround 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAfter 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eForging 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Downies Collectables","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49104614195508,"sku":"42155","price":9495.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0843\/1815\/9156\/files\/42155-0_b4e4f340-40ec-4808-ae4a-1fce204fe2a6.jpg?v=1777426063","url":"https:\/\/www.downies.com\/products\/australias-first-gold-rush-175th-anniversary-2026-1oz-gold-proof-coin","provider":"Downies Collectables","version":"1.0","type":"link"}