Peach’s Gold (1983 - 1983)
Documentary series
5 episodes x 60 minutes
Series synopsis:
A series of five dramatised documentaries that cover one of the most interesting aspects of Australian history. The series covers the early discoveries of alluvial gold, the dramatic confrontation at Eureka, the development of deep mining and the rise of rural cities and transcontinental communication links.
Curator’s Notes:
The discovery of gold and the gold rush era saw the population triple within a decade, brought forward an end to convict transportation and the emergence of a national character separate from Britain. Bill Peach writes and presents this compelling story with a range of visual devices that bring the 19th century to life.
The filmmakers have researched some of the less well-known stories, found lively and telling contemporary documents from the archives and discovered people’s diaries, letters and personal memorabilia which add considerably to the drama of these events.
Bill Peach the writer-presenter was already a household name in Australia after seven years as presenter of the ABC’s first nightly current affairs program, This Day Tonight (1967-1978), when he left to create a trilogy of history documentary series, beginning with Peach’s Australia (1975-1976). He followed this with Peach’s Gold (1983) then the 10 × 30 minute series Peach’s Explorers (1984).
Titles in this series
Peach’s Gold – Eureka 1983
From Clunes to Warrandyte, from Buninyong to Ballarat, men came from all over the country and from every corner of the globe to try their luck as diggers on the fabulous goldfields of 19th century Victoria. Their sense of outrage ...
Peach’s Gold – Finders Keepers 1983
The discovery of gold in California in 1849 started a huge rush to the goldfields of the United States, including thousands of Australians. Among them was Edward Hammond Hargraves who returned shortly afterwards to his native Australia to try his ...
Peach’s Gold – Land of Gold 1983
From the middle to the end of the 19th century, gold strikes occurred in the most inhospitable regions of the continent, from Kiandra in the Snowy Mountains to the Palmer River at Cape York. Men would race to the site ...
