Sovereign Hill, VICTORIA
Airing Date: Aug 25th, 2003
This outdoor theme park is located in Ballarat, about an hour and a half from Melbourne. When you step inside the gates you'll feel like you've entered another world - a world without cars and modern technology, a world with dirt streets and horse-drawn carriages ... a world where you could still strike it lucky.
Back in the 19th century the jackpot was finding a gold nugget wedged in the ground. Thousands of hopefuls from around the world flocked to Ballarat to find their fortune, and between 1851 and 1960, the local gold fields yielded some 230 million pounds worth of gold - 27% of the state's total production.
Sovereign Hill has a township that recreates everyday life back in the 1850s. The shops sell all types of goods unique to that era, from pottery to ironware and toiletry items. People roam the streets dressed in period costumes, rushing from the hotel to the blacksmiths on their daily errands. And part of the park is devoted to gold panning so visitors can search for gold the traditional way.
There are also many activities to join in, so you can learn about the gold rush days in a fun and entertaining way. One of the many experiences is the Quartz Mine tour. This guided tour takes you through an actual underground mine. Once a working mine, it now features displays and dioramas illustrating not only the development of quartz mining technology over the years, but also the horrific conditions the miners used to face.
One show at Sovereign Hill that's definitely worth a mention is the Blood on the Southern Cross show. You are invited to take a journey through time, back to the significant event of the Eureka Rebellion. Following a recent revamp to this epic show, visitors can watch the recreation up to 4 times a night and over the entire 25 hectare park. It's a visual delight and certainly a highlight to anyone who visits Sovereign Hill.
The facts:
Qantas flies to Melbourne at $195 from Sydney and $272 from Brisbane.
Qantas
Tel: 13 13 13
The Blood on the Southern Cross show runs from Monday to Saturday. Entry is $32 for adults, $17 for the kids or $88 for a family.
A one day pass to Sovereign Hill is $27 for adults, $13 for the kids or $70 for a family ticket. The 45 minute tours of the Quartz Mine cost $4 for adults, $2 for the kids, or $10 for a family.
You can wake up in the 1850s at the Sovereign Hill Lodge and rooms starts from $126 a night.
The Sovereign Hill Museums Association
Tel: 03 5337 1100
Sovereign Hill
Tourism Victoria
