Palmer River gold field was the site of the first large profitable gold discovery in Queensland, Australia. It lies along the Palmer River, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) inland from what is now Cooktown. In 1872, explorer and cattle rancher William Hann discovered traces of gold along a river in northern Queensland. He named the river the Palmer in honor of Queensland’s premier, Arthur Hunter Palmer. Inspired by Hann’s discovery, prospector James Venture Mulligan led an expedition to the region in 1873. He too found gold, and soon a gold rush began.
Tens of thousands of people, including European colonists and Chinese workers, flocked to the Palmer River area. Several settlements were established in the area, including Maytown (originally named Edwardston), which became the area’s administrative center. The rugged land of the region made working the claims difficult. Food was scarce, and many miners died from tropical diseases. Violence was common between European and Chinese miners and local Aboriginal people. By the late 1880’s, many of the claims in the area had begun to fail, and people began leaving the region. Small numbers of people remained in the area into the 1930’s. Today, the gold rush settlements are ghost towns. However, some commercial mining activity continues in the area.
See also Australia, History of (The discovery of gold); Gold rushes in Australia.
