In the latter part of the nineteenth century, discoveries of gold at a number of locations in Western Australia caused large influxes of prospectors from overseas and interstate, and classic gold rushes. Significant finds included:
- Halls Creek in 1885, found by Charles Hall and Jack Slattery. Triggered the "Kimberley gold rush".
- Near Southern Cross in 1887, found by the party of Harry Francis Anstey. The "Yilgarn gold rush".
- Cue in 1891, found by Michael Fitzgerald, Edward Heffernan and Tom Cue. The "Murchison gold rush".
- Coolgardie in 1892, by Arthur Bailey and William Ford.
- Kalgoorlie in 1893, by Patrick "Paddy" Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Dan Shea.
A small rush at Nundamurrah Pool, on the Greenough River, near Mullewa, east of Geraldton occurred in August 1893.