Amazing place. The reconstruction of the period around 1854 is quite spooky. We spend most of the day there, visiting the boiler room which supplies steam power to the blacksmiths,other metal workers and the gold stampers. We watched the stamper batteries pounding quartz and washing out the gold, which was purified by the local blacksmith into a small ingot valued at $120,000. There is so much to see there. After lunch we crossed the road to the Gold Museum and saw replica nuggets that boggle the mind, some of them found as recent as 2003. Another amazing exhibition.
At 9pm we went back to Sovereign Hill and saw the "Blood on the Southern Cross" show which was brilliantly done. Started with a cinematic intro, then we piled into open sided transporters which took us to the top of the hill and down the other side to a hotel which opened up onto a hillside stage (2-3 acres), recreating the Eureka stockade of 1854 where the diggers rebelled over the licence fees and other injustices from the corrupt government of the time. It was done with lights sound and fire, down to the wagon ablaze that trundled through the middle of the set at one part. There were no actors, instead parts of the hillside lit up, tents, the pub etc, voiced by the commentator and the characters involved. 22 diggers and up to 8 soldiers perished in the storming of the stockade which lasted 15 minutes. The rebellion marked the beginning of the end of colonial British rule and the beginning of democracy in Australia. The diggers flag, the Southern Cross, is kept in the Ballarat Art Museum. When that part was over (about 3/4 of an hour) we hopped back in the transporters and returned to a main street hotel where the leader of the rebellion in period clothes (real person) spoke to us from the balcony and ended the show. It's a must see if you ever pass through Ballarat. The correct Aborigine name is "Balla Arat" or meeting place.
Tuesday 15 Dec
Went to the Ballarat Art Museum this morning and saw the original diggers flag - it's a lot bigger than we thought - tomorrow we go to the Eureka rebellion site.
Tonight we went out to a local diner and had dinner. Plain and very tasty - chicken in pyjamas and fush & chups - cleaned it all up and came back to the van for pudding, strawbs frozen yoghurt and Bula cream.
Just before dark at least 50 rabbits came out into the paddock next door to munch on the short grass - the place is lousy with them.
Ballarat is approx the same size as Bendigo, ie pop 100,000 people, 1,000,000 bunnies
Top and bottom photos: Original Southern Cross flag; the Ballarat Art Museum where it is on display.
