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Ballarat owes its existence to the discovery of gold in 1851. The second largest nugget ever found in Australia - the Welcome Stranger - was discovered in 1858. It's a story of tragedy and comedy, of success and failure, of industry and enterprise. Today, the excitement and glory of the goldrush days remain to be relived and celebrated at Sovereign Hill and the Gold Museum. Sovereign Hill, opened in 1971, faithfully re-creates the lives and times of a 1850's typical goldmining settlement and its people. The Gold Museum, established in 1972, is Victoria's major regional museum. It embraces the Ballarat community through a variety of special exhibitions and public programmes. It is not only a museum about gold, but about people and most of all Ballarat, a city built on gold. (The Museum is located opposite Sovereign Hill). "A City Built on Gold" |
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