Ballarat Attractions 
Ballarat (pop. 64,000) is famed as the scene of the Eureka rising, the only 'civil war' in Australia's history, when gold miners refused to pay government license fees and barricaded themselves into the Eureka Stockade. The rebellion was repressed by the army on December 3rd 1854, leaving 27 dead and many wounded. The rich finds of gold increased the population of the town to 40,000. Over 20 million ounces of gold were recovered during the gold boom, which lasted 20 years.
Ballarat's principal tourist attraction is Sovereign Hill. Here, on a 26ha site, is a reconstruction of a gold-mining town centered on a real gold mine, with a gold museum, shops, a hotel, a theater, a Chinese temple and figures in contemporary costume re-creating the life of the town in the 1860s.
In Ballarat's main street (Sturt Street) are numbers of handsome and substantial houses dating from the 1880s. The mixture of architectural styles - neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance - is characteristic of the Australian gold-mining towns. The prosperity of the town in its heyday is shown by such fine buildings as the post office, the railroad station, Montrose Cottage (the first stone house built in the goldfields), Craig's Royal Hotel and the Town Hall.
The Eureka Museum has a collection of relics of gold-mining days. Also of interest are the Doll Museum, the Old Curiosity Shop, the Old Ballarat Pottery and the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.
The Botanic Gardens (area 40ha) are famed for their begonias, rhododendrons and azaleas. In a colonnaded gallery are busts of Australian prime ministers. Also in the gardens is a house (ca 1860) which was occupied by the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon. Beside the park is Lake Wendouree, an artificial lake on which the rowing events in the 1956 Olympics were staged. Ballarat Wildlife Park in Ballarat East concentrates on Australian fauna such as wombats, koala and Tasmanian devils.
On the west side of the town, on the road to Ararat, are the 22km long Avenue of Honor, lined by 3900 trees, and the Arch of Victory, honoring those who fought in the first world war.
Ballarat's principal tourist attraction is Sovereign Hill. Here, on a 26ha site, is a reconstruction of a gold-mining town centered on a real gold mine, with a gold museum, shops, a hotel, a theater, a Chinese temple and figures in contemporary costume re-creating the life of the town in the 1860s.
In Ballarat's main street (Sturt Street) are numbers of handsome and substantial houses dating from the 1880s. The mixture of architectural styles - neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance - is characteristic of the Australian gold-mining towns. The prosperity of the town in its heyday is shown by such fine buildings as the post office, the railroad station, Montrose Cottage (the first stone house built in the goldfields), Craig's Royal Hotel and the Town Hall.
The Eureka Museum has a collection of relics of gold-mining days. Also of interest are the Doll Museum, the Old Curiosity Shop, the Old Ballarat Pottery and the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.
The Botanic Gardens (area 40ha) are famed for their begonias, rhododendrons and azaleas. In a colonnaded gallery are busts of Australian prime ministers. Also in the gardens is a house (ca 1860) which was occupied by the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon. Beside the park is Lake Wendouree, an artificial lake on which the rowing events in the 1956 Olympics were staged. Ballarat Wildlife Park in Ballarat East concentrates on Australian fauna such as wombats, koala and Tasmanian devils.
On the west side of the town, on the road to Ararat, are the 22km long Avenue of Honor, lined by 3900 trees, and the Arch of Victory, honoring those who fought in the first world war.
Ballarat Surroundings
Read More
Creswick, Australia
In the 19th C Creswick's (pop. 2700) goldfields were among the richest in Australia, attracting a population of 60,000. In December 1882 the gold mine was flooded and 22 miners were drowned. Gold-panners are still at work in the many streams in the surrounding area.
Features of interest are the ornate Town Hall and Creswick Historical Museum (Albert Street), which has paintings by Norman Lindsay.
Features of interest are the ornate Town Hall and Creswick Historical Museum (Albert Street), which has paintings by Norman Lindsay.
Dunolly, Australia
Dunolly (pop. 650), near which the Welcome Stranger nugget, the largest ever discovered, was found. During the gold rush in the 1850s there was a huge influx of Chinese and European prospectors and the population of the town rose to 45,000. The rush soon died down, but gold panning still goes on in the local creeks.
There are a number of old buildings in the main street. There is an interesting Goldfields and Arts Museum.
There are a number of old buildings in the main street. There is an interesting Goldfields and Arts Museum.
