Canoona gold rush
Although gold had been discovered near Warwick in 1851, Queensland’s first gold rush began in late 1858. Rumours of payable gold at Canoona near Rockhampton attracted around 15,000 people to the area. However, relatively little gold was found, so the area became known as a “duffer”. Having spent everything to join the rush, many miners were left destitute. While some returned to the southern colonies, others remained, providing a labour force that enabled the development of the newly established colony when Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859.
