Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Victorian Sydney
In the 1850s, gold was discovered in
New South Wales and Sydney came
alive with gold seekers, big spenders
and a new wave of settlers. It was the
start of a peaceful period of solid growth.
Education became compulsory, an art
gallery was opened and the Australian
Academy of Arts held its first exhibition. The city skyline
became more complex, with spires and “tall” buildings.
Terrace houses proliferated. Victorian decorum and social
behaviour borrowed from the mother country flourished,
with much social visiting and sporting enthusiasm. It was
an age of pleasure gardens and regattas, but also a time
of unruliness and political agitation. In the 1890s, as the
country moved towards Federation,
fervent nationalism and an Australian
identity began to take shape.
Gold rush
memorabilia
GROWTH OF THE CITY
Today
1881
The dome was
30 m (98 ft) in
diameter.
The structure
was built of
hollow pine.
Mrs Macquaries Chair (1855)
This prime harbour viewing spot (see
p106), with the seat carved from rock for
the governor's wife, was “the daily resort
of all the fashionable people in Sydney”.
Boer War
The 1st Australian
Horse division
was praised for
its bushcraft,
horsemanship
and accurate
shooting.
THE GARDEN PALACE
Built in the Botanic Gardens especially for the
occasion, in 1879-80, the Garden Palace hosted
the first international exhibition held in the
southern hemisphere. Twenty nations took part.
Sadly, the building and most of its contents
were destroyed by fire in 1882.
TIMELINE
Henry Parkes
1851 The discovery of
gold near Bathurst, west
of the Blue Mountains,
sparks a gold rush
1872 Henry
Parkes
elected NSW
Premier
1868 The Duke of Edinburgh visits and
survives an assassination attempt. The Prince
Alfred Hospital is later named in his honour
1850
1860
1870
1867 Henry Lawson born
1869 Trend in the colony
towards the segregation
of Aboriginal peoples on
reserves and settlements
1857 Dunbar wrecked
at The Gap with the
loss of 121 lives and
only one survivor
Henry Lawson,
notable poet
and author
of short
stories
1870 The last
British troops
withdraw from
the colony
 
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