Our plan for today was to visit Sovereign Hill @ Ballarat. We did not expect to spend one full day at Sovereign Hill but there are simply too many tours, games, shows, activities etc. In the end, we stayed till the place was closed for the day. Our car journey from Geelong to Ballarat was about an hour.
The moment we stepped into Sovereign Hill, it's as though we had been teleported back to the 1850s when Ballarat was a gold rush boomtown.
There is a small Chinese village with a Chinese temple within Sovereign Hill.
Many local schools had organized trips to Sovereign Hill for their students to learn about the history of Ballarat.
Throughout the day at Sovereign Hill, we realized that there were many jobs in a company mine. We were able to learn how the workers used the surface machinery to help those underground and find out what their typical working day looks like.
Gold was discovered here in 1851, triggering the greatest alluvial gold rush the world has ever known. The sleepy pastoral settlement of Ballarat grew rapidly into a fine provincial city built on the wealth derived from its gold.
There were many photo opportunities at Sovereign Hill which is like a living Museum. The Outdoor Museum enjoys international renown as a living museum featuring rare trades, working machinery, exhibits, and costumed interpreters.
As we walked past the Victoria Theatre, there was a live performance (a play) going on.
Technology was different in the Victorian era, and they had to get creative to make special effects.
Visitors can also experience the sights and sounds of Sovereign Hill from the comfort of a horse-drawn coach.
We entered a confectionery store and bought some candies.....
.....and also, a gingerbread boy.
We continued to explore the different parts of Sovereign Hills and watched several demonstrations, which I will post about in the next few posts.
After a hard day on the diggings, goldfields residents would unwind by knocking down a few pins at the local bowling saloon.
Below is a Foundry, where cast irons and machine parts were made that was essential for mining.
One of the demonstrations, which was packed with Visitors, was to see how confectioners make the world-famous boiled lollies from scratch.
There were Redcoats marching their way up the street at specific time of the day.
Voltaic Battery Blasting Demonstration is another one that we watched. Blasting was perhaps the most dangerous part of the mining trade. In this demonstration, we will find out whether the innovative Voltaic Battery blasting system was the best solution to the dangers.
In the coming few posts, I will share some of the interesting tours and demonstrations that we had experienced in more details.
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