- Alternative Names
- Upper Ovens Goldfield
Gold was discovered at Buckland River in 1853 and 6,000 diggers had rushed there by the following year. Known as the Upper Ovens Goldfield, the area (which today includes the townships of Harrietville, Bright, and Wandiligong) proved successful for both alluvial and quartz mining. The large and shifting population attracted to the area over a long period included many Chinese, whom by 1857 outnumbered Europeans on the Buckland River by at least three to one. Racial tensions developed, coming to a head on 4 July in a notorious anti-Chinese riot, known as the Buckland Riot.