Mr E.H. Hargraves returning the salute of the gold miners [5th] of the ensuing May, June 1851, by T.T. Balcombe

In 1849 Edward Hargraves sailed from Sydney for the Californian gold rush, but failed to find his fortune. When he returned to New South Wales in 1851, he immediately headed inland to find gold. Within weeks, Hargraves and a few other men had found a small amount of gold at a place he named Ophir. He was given the Governor’s £10,000 prize (which he refused to share).