According to Ross Johnstone, the Palmer River gold rush of 1873:
was perhaps the most dramatic. Following on reports by Hann and Mulligan of gold in the region, the Palmer suddenly swarmed like an ant colony. Almost overnight the town of Cooktown was created, to service the hinterland, a rare example of early government planning.1
Sadly, 'for most of the diggers there was little success'.
The press fanned the public's enthusiasm. Here is an article from the Sydney Town and Country Journal, 18 October, 1873, (p15) which shows the extent of gold fever.
1 Johnston, W.R. The Call of the Land, A History of Queensland to the Present Day, Brisbane, The Jacaranda Press, 1982, p68.