- Alternative Names
- Chiltern-Rutherglen Goldfield
- Indigo
Gold was found in the area around Chiltern before 1853, but it was not until the discovery made by John H. Conness at Indigo, in May 1858, that the goldfield became established. Conness’s find attracted a mining population of over 2,000, about half being Chinese. In July 1860, there was a rush to the Wahgunyah diggings, where the town of Rutherglen developed. Miners deserted the area for the New South Wales fields in 1866.