▁Le ads ▁and ▁Home ▁Rule , ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁ 1 8 7 2 ▁there ▁were ▁ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁people ▁on ▁the ▁Gul g ong ▁fields . ▁ ▁The ▁all uv ial ▁leads ▁in ▁the ▁district ▁were ▁among ▁the ▁rich est ▁in ▁the ▁State . ▁Within ▁the ▁first ▁four ▁years ▁of ▁discovery , ▁over ▁ 3 0 0 ▁ 0 0 0 ▁ oun ces ▁of ▁gold ▁were ▁recovered . ▁The ▁Gul g ong ▁Gold field ▁produced ▁ 2 7 5 ▁ 0 0 0 ▁pounds ▁of ▁gold , ▁most ▁of ▁which ▁was ▁won ▁from ▁old ▁stream ▁gra vel s ▁as ▁much ▁as ▁ 6 0 m ▁below ▁the ▁surface , ▁several ▁kilometres ▁from ▁Gul g ong . ▁ ▁Due ▁to ▁its ▁rapid ▁development , ▁Gul g ong ▁was ▁initially ▁a ▁primitive ▁community ▁with ▁quick ▁tim ber ▁construction ▁pre domin ating ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁years ▁of ▁the ▁gold ▁r ush . ▁The ▁national ities ▁on ▁the ▁field ▁like ▁elsewhere ▁in ▁NS W ▁were ▁many ▁and ▁varied ▁including ▁Bulg ari ans , ▁Gree ks , ▁Scottish , ▁Americans , ▁Canad ians , ▁Irish ▁men ▁and ▁Chinese , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁native - born ▁Austral ians . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁long ▁trip ▁from ▁Sydney , ▁to ▁Gul g ong ▁but ▁the ▁trip ▁was ▁worth while ▁for ▁hundreds ▁of ▁min ers . ▁They ▁travel led ▁by ▁train ▁from ▁Sydney ▁to ▁W aller aw ang , ▁th ence ▁by ▁mail ▁coach ▁to ▁M ud ge e , ▁and ▁from ▁there