Bushranging thrived during the mid-19th century gold rushes, with many bushrangers roaming the goldfields and country districts of New South Wales and Victoria, and to a lesser extent Queensland. As the outbreak worsened in the mid-1860s, colonial governments outlawed many of the most notorious bushrangers, including the Gardiner–Hall gang, Dan Morgan, and the Clarke gang. These "Wild Colonial Boys", mostly Australian-born sons of convicts, were roughly analogous to British highwaymen and outlaws of the American Old West, and their crimes included robbing small-town banks, bailing up coach services and raiding stations (pastoral estates). They also engaged in many shootouts with the police.
bushranging thrived during the mid-19th century gold rushes with many bushrangers roaming the goldfields and country districts of new south wales and victoria and to a lesser extent queensland as the outbreak worsened in the mid-1860s colonial governments outlawed many of the most notorious bushrangers including the gardiner–hall gang dan morgan and the clarke gang these "wild colonial boys" mostly australian-born sons of convicts were roughly analogous to british highwaymen and outlaws of the american old west and their crimes included robbing small-town banks bailing up coach services and raiding stations (pastoral estates) they also engaged in many shootouts with the police