Genealogical Society of Queensland - GSQ

Lady Diamantina and her legacy. Thanks to The Dave & Malou Channel

The story of Welshman, William Barker and the Australian Gold rushes. From the Welsh Family History

William Baker Part 1 | From Goldcliff to the Gold Rush

William Leonard Baker was born on 16 May 1831 at Goldcliff, Monmouthshire, into a large farming family. He was the second of eleven children born to William and Ann Baker (née Leonard), and spent his childhood helping on the family farm alongside his brothers and sisters.

But by the early 1850s, news of gold discoveries in Australia was spreading across Britain. In 1852, at just 21 years old, William is believed to have left Wales for Australia during the height of the gold rush in Victoria.

The discovery of gold at Ballarat and Bendigo had transformed Victoria almost overnight. Hundreds of thousands of prospectors flooded to the colony, transforming it from a pastoral outpost into a global economic powerhouse and fueling the explosive growth of Melbourne.

Among the thousands of hopeful migrants poured into the colonies seeking fortune was William, for a young farmer from rural Monmouthshire, it must have seemed like the adventure of a lifetime.

An antique doll. Story from the Royal Historical Society of Victoria

From the Public Record Office Victoria for Archives week. A recorded talk on their YouTube channel, “She Carried On: Women’s Power, Erasure, and Legacy in Victoria’s History”.

From the Brisbane City Council "In 1855, the area was declared a botanic reserve and Walter Hill was appointed as the garden’s first curator. Under Hill’s care, the gardens grew from the original 6-acre block to nearly 28 acres. Hill also planted Bunya pines, fig trees and other plants that still stand tall today. The gardens continued to expand and even included a zoo. Flamingos, bears, monkeys, emus and a Galapagos tortoise lived at the gardens until the zoo was disbanded in 1958.
In 1997, the City Botanic Gardens was added to the Queensland Heritage Register. This recognized the gardens for their natural, historic and cultural values." Go to Creating the City Botanic Gardens.