In order to fulfil increased water demands during the gold rush, an extensive infrastructure was created to store and divert water to the gold mines in Victoria, a relatively dry region. Today, Australia’s distinctive state and federal water management is partly the result of these developments. As Susan Lawrence and Peter Davies show, the consequences of the gold rush for the environment are still felt today; the sludge released with the water was contaminated with chemicals, which made water undrinkable and had detrimental effects on the environment.
DOI: doi.org/10.5282/rcc/7910