Sovereign Hill

Well what can I say, Sovereign Hill is a FANTASTIC place to go. We have had so much fun learning about life in the 1850's over the last two days and we could go back for another two days as it was so good.

Arriving at 10am on Friday, we were overwelmed by the many things that we could do, we stood looking here and there and then decided to take a walk down the main street. There we found authentic shops, replicated on those that were there in those early days on the Goldfields of Ballarat. There were people in period costume, ladies, gents, police, red coats and locals. One of the first places we saw was the photographic studio and would you believe the photo in the window, it looked just like our family 150 years ago!! We had so much fun dressing up for this and everyone wanted to keep their olden day clothes on and walk around in them like the other people outside! But alas, we had to return to the 21st century.

We heard a man talking about the goldrush and learnt alot of how they found and dug for the gold and how the businesses in the area expanded. It was a cold day, but there were fires all around that one could warm up next to, we had lunch in a hut near a fire, that was the perfect spot. We visited the school to see what that was like back then, we went on a carriage ride, saw candles being made - and found out a 12 year old boy (they used Jerome as an example) could become an apprentice candle maker. He'd get to live in the store, boil the tallow (that is the sheeps fat and it stinks) and learn the candle trade for which he would be paid nothing for the first four years, and then probably get his own store. Jerome decided that was not for him!

We saw boiled lollies being made, went for a tour down a mine in which was a commentary of the find of the Welcome nugget, 69kg, found in the 1860's I think, we went to the Bowling Saloon for a go at old style 10 pin bowling, saw how the made wagon wheels, went to the tin foundary where they make candle holders, little bells, pans, etc.

On Saturday, the sun came out and we went panning for gold, which I wasn't too keen about, until we found some gold! Then I could see why people got addicted to the dig. It was fun to find a few flakes and feel we had struck it rich! While we were panning, a police man came down to check the diggers licences, some of the in costume men, showed licences and those without a licence took off and got shot at while they scurried over the hill. The policeman made some snide comments, then pointed to our kids and said, "And you kids, BEHAVE YOURSELVES!" After he left, Sophia, quite seriously, turned to me and said, "I won't do anything wrong Mummy." No way was she going to get shot at!

It was fun to see the red coats march down the street and they were all celebrating the win of the Empire over the Russians in the Crimean? war this was a wonderful victory, worth a volley of shots from their muskats, and "for all those who had a delicate disposition, they were to put their digits into their auditory orifaces and stand clear" THAT was LOUD.

Overall, we loved the many different things that we learnt and how the whole place had been planned so well and those who worked there did so with the utmost credibility to the era in which they lived. It was a time of Ladies and Gentlemen (an older man commented that I was wearing "men's pants, of all the things" I did feel suitably underdressed and apologised), it was a time to make a fortune, although many didn't, there was a class about the way they lived, but it was a hard life, especially in the early days.

We visited the gold museum briefly and found and tall pyramid there, 45 feet high and with a base that measured 10 foot square, it was representative of the gold taken out of Ballarat from 1851 - 1860, it was huge, and the gold from then till now was valued at $12.5 billion dollars worth.