Australia has a long and proud history of gold mining which has shaped our country in many ways.
Gold has remarkable chemical and physical properties which make it an incredibly useful material despite its high price.
Australia’s gold exports generated $24.4 billion in revenue in 2022-23.
Gold not only spurred Australia’s first mining boom, it triggered the gold rushes of the late 19th century. People travelled from around the world to the goldfields of Bathurst, Ballarat, Bendigo and then Kalgoorlie. From 1851 to 1860 Australia’s population is estimated to have trebled largely due to this mining boom.
Modern science and technologies are now finding new applications for this rare metal – from components in smart phones to circuits in electric vehicles and increasingly in modern medicine, highlighted in The World Gold Council’s report.
As the country with the largest known gold resources in the world, Australia has a significant opportunity to supply the world’s growing demand for gold.
