Initial gold discoveries in Gulgong during 1866 did not result in profitable yields: it was not until April 1870, when the shepherd Tom Saunders found gold at Red Hill (near the present day site of the town), that a rush to the area began. Within two months 500 people had arrived; by the time the town was gazetted, in 1872, there were approximately 20,000 people in the area.
Gulgong has interesting literary connections: Thomas Alexander Browne (alias Rolf Boldrewood, author of Robbery Under Arms) was the police magistrate here during the boom years, 1871-81, and during this period he hosted a luncheon in honour of English author Anthony Trollope.
