Sovereign Hill - Part 1

On August 21, 1854, John Dunlop and James Regan struck a few ounces of gold at Poverty Point, just outside the small village of Ballarat. Almost immediately after the announcement was made, the area was swarmed by prospectors. The village grew quickly into a town, filled with people looking for ‘the answers to all our problems’. Although the days of the Victorian Gold Rush are long gone, there still is a way to journey back in time to see what life was like during the 1850s.

The Golden Point suburb of Ballarat is the location of Sovereign Hill, an outdoor museum that explores ‘Australia’s gold rush history’. Spread across 25 acres, the museum is a 19th century town built on a former gold mining site. The museum first opened in 1970 and now receives around 450,000 visitors a year. It employs adults and children to play the parts of 19th century townsfolk. I have to admit that the clothing looks really authentic and the acting is pretty good. Across the street from Sovereign Hill is the Gold Museum with collections that display: gold nuggets of various sizes, gold mining tools, Chinese & Aboriginal art, and of course, a gift shop.

My family & I arrived at Sovereign Hill in the morning and paid $41AUD each to have access to the outdoor museum and the Gold Museum next door. Because of the size of the museum, I suggest devoting an entire day to enjoy the sites and activities. You start off the adventure in the Orientation Centre where there are mannequin displays, maps displaying gold fields, and a short video about what to expect. When you exit the centre, you’re greeted to a large open road that leads to the Chinese Camp and Gold Panning Area. When the gold rush began, thousands of Chinese immigrants came to Ballarat searching for gold. While I was photographing the Chinese Camp, several children in costume were panning for gold in the Gold Panning area. An adult dressed in a teacher’s outfit called out to them, saying it was time for school. The Gold Panning Area is built around a small stream, with fully functioning aqueducts, and white tents.

After walking through the Gold Panning Area, I stopped at a stable to pet a tall brown horse. His companion decided to stay back under the shade. I remembered how a horse’s odour annoyed me greatly when I was child. Continuing through a short alley, I found myself on the main street, lined with solid wooden buildings, and many people in character. The main street is where all the action is: there are grocery stores, hotels, newspapers, restaurants, candy shops, bank, theatre, jeweller, and bakeries. I stopped into the sweet shop to buy some lollipops for $1 as a large horse carriage drove by.

I walked up the main street and photographed the United States Hotel before venturing in to look at the old fashioned bar. As I was trying to image myself in 19th century clothing and have a drink, I heard some commotion outside. A crowd had assembled next to the hotel, listening to a gentleman announcing the grand reopening of the Victoria Theatre that will feature a dance by the ‘worldly renowned’ Lola Montez. Long story short, the stage act was about Lola Montez being angry & confronting the owner of the newspaper who had slandered her in the papers.

Moving along, I walked up a staircase to look at the residential houses on Speedwell Street. The atmosphere was quieter than Main Street. The only sound that could be heard was a large singing bull behind an enclosed wooden fence. The houses themselves were modest with plenty of rooms filled with old expensive furniture. I guessed these houses for upper class people. I spotted a brown female peahen in the front yard of a house and after a minute I found her male companion or husband. Unfortunately, he was in no mood to show me his colourful tail opened and just stared at me with a frown until I took a picture.

I headed towards the southern part of the town, first checking out the large gold mining foundry building. In short, a lot of spinning gears and flowing water. The water flows along long trays to wash away all the dirt and hopefully leave gold dust. Next up was the Candle Shop that had hundreds of white candles hanging from the ceiling. Unfortunately, I missed the candle making demonstration but I’ve already made candles as a child. I’ve always wondered if it’s possible to make a candle out of ear wax? And if it would smell when you light it?

At the southern tip of the park is the Empire Bowling Saloon with the longest bowling lanes and widest gutter alleys I have ever seen. Getting a strike must have been a real challenge and rare occurrence.

At around 1pm, I met up with my older brother & father and we headed to the Wheelwright and Coachbuilder building for a demonstration. Along the way, I photographed a large but very old turkey. With the aid of a microphone headset, a woman explained to us and a class of schoolchildren how the wheels of horse-drawn carriages were built. The loud machinery contains many spinning gears but are surprisingly ‘automated’ thanks to the Industrial Revolution. Thankfully, the demonstration was only 20 minutes because at 1:30 there were going to be Redcoat Soldiers marching down Main Street.

At 1:30pm, practically everyone visiting the museum lined Main Street and waited for the arrival of the Redcoats (British soldiers). They were a few minutes late but they made a grand entrance, marching along Main Street to the beat of an old snare drum. Children happily ran alongside, trying to imitate their marching. The Redcoats halted at a large British flag, giving the crowd of onlookers a minute to assemble. The commander began his speech by announcing thecapture of Sevastopol by the British in the Crimean Peninsula. (The British Empire was at war with the Russians during the 1850s, a conflict known as the Crimean War). To celebrate the occasion, the Redcoats fired 3 loud musket rounds in the air. The commander made sure that everyone, including the children, had their fingers in their ears.

To Be Continued . . .