Arthur Wellesley Bayley

When only 16 years of age he went to North Queensland and did prospecting and mining work at Charters Towers, Hughenden, Normanton, Croydon and Palmer.

Bayley walked to Southern Cross, and while working there a few months later heard that gold had been discovered about 130 miles (210 km) to the east.

Back at Southern Cross in mid-1892, Bayley encountered a prospector he had met previously in Queensland, William Ford, who had also heard of gold being found to the east.

Soon after reaching an area known as Fly Flat (the future site of Coolgardie), Bayley and Ford found a nugget, and within a few days had picked up about 80 troy ounces (2.5 kg) of gold.

Though a strong athletic man he fell into ill health, possibly on account of privations he had suffered while a prospector, and died at Avenel of congestion of the lungs on 29 October 1896.