The Ballarat goldfields
Men came from all over the world to join the diggings on the Ballarat
goldfields. They panned for alluvial gold and they dug pits and tunnels
to look for seams of gold underground. The British government controlled
the mining activities and the diggers had to pay a monthly licence fee
for the use of marked-out pieces of land called “claims”.
Several Victorian towns grew up during the gold rush, and then lost most of their population afterwards. Ballarat remained strong and became a city.
Today
it’s a famous tourist destination, with grand Victorian
buildings and four major attractions – the Eureka Stockade center,
the Gold Museum, the historical town of Sovereign Hill and a wildlife
and reptile park.
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