eGold - A Nation's Heritage

Major gold discoveries during the 1870s, the period regarded as Queensland's golden era, created great excitement. Gold was even used to promote European settlement in remote areas of the state, particularly the northern areas: residents of the Townsville region offered a reward of £1,000 to anyone who found gold in the area. The allure of gold, coupled with government settlement incentives, led gold seekers to many outlying destinations; in the late 1870s there was a rush to Coen on the remote Cape York Peninsula.