William Tipple Smith, First person to find gold in New South Wales, Australia - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

The previously unknown grave of the person who first discovered gold in NSW.

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Description: A descendent of William Tipple Smith, Lynette Silver found missing documents that proved Smith had sent gold nuggets to England and letters detailing his claims that in 1848 he had found a payable goldfield near Yorkeys Corner. Missing for decades, the letters had been filed under "M" for Sir Roderick Murchison (a prominent British geologist who encouraged Smith) instead of "S" for Smith. Three years later in February 1851, Hargraves heard there might be gold in the hills west of the Blue Mountains. He only found a few specks, but that didn't stop him from boasting of it to the Colonial Secretary and asking for a reward. Hargraves returned to look for more gold, helped by men who had been told where Smith had found gold. When one of the men relieved himself in a creek near Yorkeys Corner, Ms Silver said, something sparkled – and he found a gold nugget. After Hargraves had claimed credit and boasted miners would find nuggets as "big as your boot", thousands rushed to the goldfields. Hargraves received a £12,000 reward from the government while Smith's life ended in poverty and misfortune. He had lost the use of his right arm before migrating to Australia; Ms Silver said a stroke then affected his left arm and speech, making it difficult to pursue his claim. Smith had emigrated to Australia from Suffolk in 1835. In 1847, he went looking for gold on the western side of the Blue Mountains and he found it the following year. That same year he and partners produced Australia's first iron and steel at Mittagong. His company would later become BHP. Well before Hargraves made his discovery, Smith had visited NSW's colonial secretary in early 1849 carrying a gold nugget as proof, and promising to reveal the location in return for £500 to cover his costs. https://www.smh.com.au/national/history-stands-corrected-smith-not-hargraves-first-to-discover-gold-in-nsw-20200902-p55rtr.html Date of birth: 07/08/1803 Date of death: 12/03/1852 Area of notoriety: Exploration Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Open in daylight hours Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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