The Chinese Connection

Gold!

It drew people from all over the world to sites all over Victoria where they lived, worked, celebrated and commiserated in the harsh conditions. The gold fields were the site of legendary political stands and very real ethnic friction.

In 1853 the Victorian government rushed a bill through parliament imposing a £10 capitation tax on all Chinese entering the colony. In order to avoid the tax, ships began dropping off their Chinese passengers in South Australia.

Although there was gold being discovered in many places in Central Victoria, Bendigo was a prime focus for many as it was (and still is) a major gold producer for the world.

The first ship carrying Chinese gold seekers to arrive at the port of Robe was the "Land of Cakes", an unusually named ship from Scotland. There were 264 Chinese migrants on board. One can only imagine the surprise of the townspeople, who would see their small population of 200 double overnight and treble in the ensuing weeks, when more Chinese arrived to seek out their fortune.

In the mid 1800s, Robe was a comparatively small portside town, comprised of a customs office (manned by one staff member), several hotels, banks, shops, churches and residences and whose economy was based primarily on wool exports.

The townspeople, while no doubt awed by the unusual sight of so many Chinese people milling excitedly on the deck of the Land of Cakes, readily seized on the opportunity to make a profit on their need to reach the shore, The fee for ferrying the passengers ranged somewhere between four and five shillings, and once on dry land, more money changed hands to obtain the services of a guide to show them the way overland to the Victorian gold fields. The Chinese freely intermingled with the locals, trading goods, bartering for supplies and gathering information about the long journey that lay ahead of them.

Generally, the local people seemed to accept the presence of the Chinese but there were some rumblings of disquiet when at the peak of immigration, their ranks had swelled to approximately 3,000, far outnumbering the local population. As a result of this unrest, twenty-five Redcoat soldiers were

dispatched to monitor the situation. The locals’ fears proved groundless and the Chinese moved

around the town in a peaceful fashion without any great incident occurring.

Life aboard the ships

"...between six and seven hundred coming overland from Adelaide. They had four wagons carrying their sick, lame and provisions. They were all walking single file, each one with a pole and two baskets. They stretched for over two miles in procession. I was half and hour passing them …everyone behind seemed to be yabbering to his mate in front in a sing-song tone".

Determined Chinese men walked over 4 million man miles through swamp, desert, mountain and plain from South Australian ports to the central goldfields of Victoria Ararat, Ballarat, Castlemaine, and Bendigo travelling in stages of about 20 miles each day.

During the journey they dug wells for fresh water and purchased sheep for fresh meat. The Chinese passed through many towns, leaving messages for their fellow countrymen who followed, in the hope of making the journey easier. Often the messages contained the location of natural water sources or of the well which had been dug previously.

Some of the guides proved to be dishonest and unreliable, whereby after one or two days of travel they would desert the Chinese leaving them stranded. Even those who went most of the way with the Chinese were reluctant to accompany them on to the field due to the hostility of the Europeans miners. The Chinese quickly learned from such misfortunes. They marked the way by inscribing Chinese characters in the bark of trees, leaving a trail for their compatriots to follow.

Theirs has become a journey that represents the determination to extend the boundaries of the possible.