Peach’s Gold – Land of Gold (1983)

From the middle to the end of the 19th century, gold strikes occurred in the most inhospitable regions of the continent, from Kiandra in the Snowy Mountains to the Palmer River at Cape York. Men would race to the site to strike it rich or die in the process.

Bill Peach is a terrific storyteller and even though the filmic style is rather slow to modern sensibilities, nevertheless the visuals are rich with illustrations, songs and recreations. This particular documentary is full of events, larger than life characters and all the madness and colour of this most extraordinary chapter in Australia’s history. Unlike the television half hours of Peach’s Australia and Peach’s Explorers, these programs in the series about gold discoveries were made for a television hour.