When in 1866 railway construction suddenly ceased, both on the Southern and Central (then called the Northern) lines, there was general distress, mitigated shortly afterwards by the discovery of gold at the Crocodile Field, near Rockhampton; and in 1867 by the opening up of the Gympie Goldfield. The first important discovery of gold, however, had been on the Peak Downs in 1862, after which the production of that metal advanced from 2,783 oz. in 1863 to 15,660 oz. in 1864, slightly in excess of which level it remained for the next two years. The gold raised then jumped to 35,581 oz. in 1867, and to 111,589 oz. in 1868. During the next two years the production dropped by about 19,000 oz., but it recovered to 115,986 oz. in 1871. In 1874 it made another big jump to 254,959 oz., owing to the discoveries at the Palmer, Charters Towers, and elsewhere in the North. This volume of production was rather more than maintained during the next two years, after which there was a fluctuating annual diminution until 1887, when there was a recovery to 348,890 oz. For seven years of the first quarter-century the value of gold won exceeded a million sterling per annum, high-water mark being touched in 1875--a year of heavy rainfall and abundant water--with a gold yield of L1,196,583. In gold production the second quarter-century opened well with a total of 250,137 oz., and this yield for 1885 was followed by continuous progression until 1889, when the total of 634,605 oz., valued at L2,695,629, was reached. Thence for seven years there was a fluctuating decline, the minimum of 477,976 oz. being touched in 1891. From that year there was a gradual recovery until in 1898 647,487 oz. was reached, the record being made with 676,027 oz. in the last year of the century. Since then there has been a continuous annual decline until the total gold raised in 1908 had fallen to 465,085 oz., which is rather less than half the quantity declared to be exported in 1898 and 1903. But the export and production figures of course differ, the former being the actual weight exported in the year, which may be less or more than the production. Moreover, the production figures are stated in fine ounces, so that the difference between gold won and exported is considerably less than the figures would at first sight indicate.