The Australian gold rush started in 1851 when a man named Edward Hardgraves who lived California moved to Australia. when Hargraves got to Ballarat,Victoria he notice that that landscape was just like California wich at that time California was having a gold rush so Hardgraves got two boys called the Tom brothers to show Hardgraves around the area then Hardgraves started panning for gold then he got some gold. After that he showed his findings to the government and he was rewarded with lots of money thus on that day forward til 1854 the infamous Australian gold rush started!!!