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The large town of Ballarat
(population 63,802) is 111 km west of
Melbourne. It prospered during the
gold rush and is now a major regional centre and a most picturesque
tourist town. The city literally glows in autumn when the leaves of its
deciduous trees change colour. The botanic gardens near Lake Wendouree are
a tranquil spot in this beautiful city.
Ballarat's origins go back to 1837, when William Yuille and his men camped
on the edge of the Black Swamp, an area that has since been reclaimed and
is now known as Lake Wendouree. Yuille settled here -'Ballarat' is a word
in a local Aboriginal language which means 'camping or resting was not
long before the first gold nugget was found by Thomas Hiscock -from the
ground near the cemetery in 1851. However, it was not until two years
later that two main lodes were found and thousands of miners rushed to the
region to try their hand at gold prospecting. Their 'settlement' was a
huge tent city.
The Eureka Stockade incident followed in 1854 when there was a major clash
over miners' rights and taxes. The miners eventually lined up and
simultaneously burnt their licences in a huge campfire. This revolt was
led by Peter Lalor under the blue and white Eureka flag, and within days a
fight ensued between miners and government soldiers. More than 30 people
were killed. Sent to trial, the agitators were found not guilty and Lalor
went on to become a member of the Victorian Parliament. You will still see
the famous flag flying throughout this town today. A Eureka Stockade
Memorial sits on the corner of Stawell and Eureka Streets, and an
exhibition portraying the event can be found on Eureka Street.
Gold provided a great deal of wealth for this area -it is here that the
world's second biggest gold nugget was found. The Welcome Nugget weighed
68,956 grams (2437 ounces) and was found at Bakery Hill in 1858. Without
doubt, the biggest attraction is Sovereign Hill, a theme park re-creating
the old gold rush days. Its staff members dress in period costume, and it
contains realistic stores and banks. It is built on the old Sovereign Hill
Quartz Mining Site. There were many Chinese working in the Australian
goldfields in the gold rush days. It is said that up to one-third of the
population during the 1800s was of Chinese descent -the numerous Chinese
graves on McArthur Street certainly seem to reinforce this belief.
The Arch of Victory forms an entrance to the town and to the Avenue of
Honour, along which nearly 4000 trees are planted in honour of
ex-servicemen. Another feature is the Great Southern Woolshed, on the
Western Highway. Based around the wool industry, it features displays of
sheep shearing, working sheep dogs in action and an animal nursery.
Ballarat Wildlife Park, another popular attraction, is set among 116 ha
(287 acres) of scenic peppermint forest where native wildlife such as
koalas, kangaroos, emus and wombats can often be seen. South of town is
the theme park Kryal Castle, the world's third largest castle which
features Gothic architecture. The staff dress as medieval characters and
put on shows. The armour, torture chamber, glass-blowing display and stone
maze are popular.
Other features of Ballarat include the Ballarat Aviation Museum, which
houses a huge collection of vintage and classic aeroplanes, models and
memorabilia, and a gold museum which contains a great collection of the
alluvial gold nuggets. |
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