Goldfields

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Goldfields, Vic.  Photo credit:  Sovereign Hill Museums Association/Tourism Australia

Goldfields

Much of the gold may have gone, but rich pickings remain for travellers heading north-west of Melbourne.

 

The gold rush of the 1850s and 60s has left its mark on Goldfields towns in a variety of ways. Some still thrive and wear their rich heritage on their opulently decorated sleeves. Some became living museums feeding the tourist market. And some are ghost towns, left to be reclaimed by the bush.

The Goldfields region is also famed for its wineries and vineyards, and has links to the origins of Australian rules football. Tom Wills, one of the pioneers of the sport, grew up in the area.

Things to do in Goldfields

Ballarat
Victoria’s third largest city has been prospering since the gold rush started in 1851. You can see the evidence in the town hall, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Craig’s Hotel. All were built with money derived from the world’s richest alluvial goldfield, and their design and architecture practically drip wealth and importance.

  • Sovereign Hill: If Ballarat is a modern city with big, bold nods to the past, Sovereign Hill is the time machine back to where it all began. This re-creation of an 1850s gold mining town puts a big smile on your face the moment you step onto Main Street. Wander the blacksmith’s workshop, stables, photography studio, apothecary, bakery, jewellers, grocer, nine-pin bowling saloon and many more. See the traditional trades going about their daily work and explore the homes and schools where life was lived. It’s part museum, part theatre, part movie set and entirely captivating. An essential thing to do in Goldfields – we love it.
  • Avenue of Honour: This commemorative boulevard was built in memory of the local soldiers who fought in WWI. It starts 4km west of Ballarat’s centre where a 17m high arch (built in 1920) straddles the road. It then stretches 22km westwards, lined by over 3000 trees, each bearing a bronze plaque engraved with the name of a soldier.
  • Museum of Australian Democracy, Eureka: When the miners of Eureka stood up for their rights in 1854, the town became the tinderbox for democracy in Australia. It’s a provocative and much debated piece of history, but many see Eureka as the place where a young nation first began to assert itself. This museum is a powerful and evocative place to explore the Eureka Stockade Rebellion (aka The Battle of Eureka Stockade) and its wider effects.

 

Bendigo
Victoria’s fourth largest city was once the largest goldfield in the state. It’s full of the sort of baroque, Gothic, and Georgian extravagances you can create when money’s no object. Small wonder many consider it the best-preserved Victorian architecture in the state.

Pall Mall is perhaps the most elegant street in the city centre. The granite-hewn Alexandra Fountain was installed in 1881 and sits at Pall Mall’s southern end. Further along the same road, the Bendigo Visitor Information Centre (formerly the old post office) is more impressive than any visitor information centre has any right to be. The same is true of the law courts.

On the corner of Pall Mall and Williamson Street is Bendigo’s most famous hotel, the Shamrock, built in 1897. One of Bendigo’s best attractions is simply wandering the streets and touring the villas built by the gold magnates of the day. Although you can’t go in, do stand and shake your head in wonder at the Fortuna Villa (sidebar)

  • Golden Dragon Museum: Records the influence of the Chinese community since their arrival in the city in 1854.  It’s also home to dragons Loong and Sun Loong.
  • Central Deborah Mine: The area’s last deep-reef mine has been fully restored and, unlike most mines, you’ll find it right in the heart of the city. Nearly 400m deep, the shaft has 17 levels and there’s plenty to explore above ground too. Vintage ‘talking’ trams connect many of the attractions and provide a genial commentary as you travel.

 

Castlemaine
Within a year of gold being discovered, the population of Castlemaine, between Ballarat and Bendigo, soared to 25,000. Today it’s a mere 7300.

The Castlemaine Market Place was a food distribution point for the central Victoria goldfields. It’s now a museum and typical of Castlemaine as a whole: becoming one of the best things to do in Goldfields by putting its heritage to use in ways that wouldn’t be out of place in a town with a much larger population.

The numerous art galleries are consistently good. Castlemaine Gaol and the nearby Botanical Gardens are diverting (the gardens, opened in 1850, are one of the oldest public gardens in Victoria). And the town is full of architecture (the Theatre Royal, the market, the town hall) that flaunts its prosperous origins.

This is particularly true on Lyttleton Street and Mostyn Street, where you’ll find a monument to Burke and Willis, the famous (and often hapless) explorers. The views down to the town centre make it a worthwhile diversion.

Maryborough
Once this was Simsons sheep station, named after the brothers who founded it. Then the gold rush swept in and the Irish gold commissioner, James Daly, changed the name to that of his birthplace, Maryborough.

Today, there’s no sign of the sheep station, but plenty of evidence left by the gold rush.  Wander the well-preserved High Street, the post office in Clarendon Street, and the grand railway station and soak up the prosperous past.

Phillips Gardens, junction of Alma Street and Inkerman Street: The lake, lawns and wetland were established in 1870. They’re still perfect for bird-watching.

Bristol Hill Reserve: The lookout tower on the western edge of town affords good views of Maryborough and the surrounding countryside.

Lake Victoria: It’s only a few minutes from the town centre, but here (and the nearby Goldfields Reservoir) you’ll find parkland, sports facilities, boating and fishing.

Find more gold rush towns.

 

Explore Victoria’s tourist attractions
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Thinking Big

 

When Bendigo entrepreneur George Lansell bought his new home, he had big plans.

Fortuna Villa was already an imposing place when he took ownership. But with a personal fortune built on gold and precious stones (Lansell was known as the Quartz King), Fortuna Villa was to become his pride and joy.

The result is one of Bendigo’s most eccentric attractions. It’s a riot of towers and turrets, stained and acid-etched glass, elaborate ceilings, a grand staircase, and solid marble baths.

From the outside you might consider it overblown or arrogant, but there’s no denying it is staggering.

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