The mining industry has been the backbone to the Australian economy, fuelling the economy with continual growth even during the hardest of economic times, providing a stable flow of jobs in rural areas. In earlier years with the influx of migration mining contributed to many foreign workers receiving employment. The mining industry has created a sense of identity for a young developing nation, enriching our early history. Our story begins over 40,000 years ago when indigenous Australians used ochres for multiple purposes. Further down the line with the English settlement began the mining of coal in 1799 (Anon., 2014). However, one of the most crucial discoveries was made in 1851, this being gold. Gold, a commodity we hear of every day, we hear of its fluctuating price daily on the news, it is visible on almost everyone in the form of chains or rings indicating the status they hold in society. Yet this isn't why gold is so important. Gold helped to shape our early history and developed a young nation’s identity. This report will encapsulate the discovery of Gold by Edward Hargraves, how a small town grew, changing the identity of a developing nation forever.