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Story: Australians

Hokitika in the 1860s

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Hokitika in the 1860s

When gold was discovered on the South Island’s West Coast in 1864, ships from Australia crowded the quay of Hokitika’s river port. The town was described as ‘a suburb of Melbourne’. To the chagrin of the Canterbury province, most West Coast gold was shipped to Melbourne rather than across the Alps to Christchurch.

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West Coast Historical Museum

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Australians – Sheep farmers, gold miners, soldiers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/609/hokitika-in-the-1860s (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.

Comments

Heather M Kerr
09 October 2023
Looking for William and Thomas Kell