Australia's Golden Mile to Mount Morgan: The Richest Gold Fields on Earth Distance was only a slight inconvenience to immigrants who chased the elusive yellow metal. 🌏✨ THE POPULATION EXPLOSION: Australia's population TREBLED from 1851 to 1860. Gold towns with thousands of people grew from scrub and rock almost overnight. By early 1873, Hill End alone boasted an estimated 30,000 people - complete with all manner of worldly goods and chattels on tap. AUSTRALIA'S MAJOR GOLD FIELDS: ▸ The Start: O