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June 1851 - Convicts on the run to gold
12 June 1851, near Tarranganda, New South Wales
For Aubrey McWilliam, a man convicted and transported some four years before, all that now remained was a crossing of the Bega River. Once he crossed the river, he would be relatively safe in Victoria. Victoria had declared itself “free” of convicts and during the last 6 months had not sent any impressed convicts that had crossed into the state back to New South Wales.
His own case was typical of many over the last three months in particular. He had simply walked off the property of the man to whom he had been assigned, heading first East and then South as he moved day by day ever closer to Victoria. He had duly avoided police pursuit and was to cross the Bega River that night. Two days later he was able to exchange a week’s labour for a new set of clothes and a week’s worth of meals and he was then to continue his journey on to Clunes, where there were excited reports realised of the discovery of gold in significant quantity released to the newspapers on the 18th June. The Victorian Gold Rush was about to commence.
Contemporary Australia Map 1851
View attachment 500121
For Aubrey McWilliam, a man convicted and transported some four years before, all that now remained was a crossing of the Bega River. Once he crossed the river, he would be relatively safe in Victoria. Victoria had declared itself “free” of convicts and during the last 6 months had not sent any impressed convicts that had crossed into the state back to New South Wales.
His own case was typical of many over the last three months in particular. He had simply walked off the property of the man to whom he had been assigned, heading first East and then South as he moved day by day ever closer to Victoria. He had duly avoided police pursuit and was to cross the Bega River that night. Two days later he was able to exchange a week’s labour for a new set of clothes and a week’s worth of meals and he was then to continue his journey on to Clunes, where there were excited reports realised of the discovery of gold in significant quantity released to the newspapers on the 18th June. The Victorian Gold Rush was about to commence.
Contemporary Australia Map 1851
View attachment 500121
- johnboy
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