Views: Wild Wild West Hollywood
Atmosphere: Am Dram
Best time to go: Autumn / Spring
Difficulty: My granny could manage.
Craziness: Obscure
Ideal timeframe: 1 day
Distance from central Melbourne: 1hr 15mins
One of the regular tours from Melbourne is the coach trip up to Ballarat and Sovereign Hill. Don't confuse the two: Ballarat is a small town founded on the gold rush and on the passing trade of those travelling further inland to mine gold. Sovereign Hill is a purpose-built village just outside of Ballarat which aims to give you a feel for how it was to be a miner during the gold rush of the 1850's.
Ballarat is home to the recently discovered 5.5kg Ballarat Nugget and proud of it. The name Ballarat is derived from the Aboriginal words 'balla' and 'arrat' meaning 'resting place'.
There isn't a great deal to do in Ballarat, but historically it's pretty interesting. The Eureka Rebellion of 1854 began here - a historical event so important that the Eureka Tower in central Melbourne is both named after and designed to represent the revolt.
The gold at the top of the tower represents the gold rush, and the red stripe represents the blood shed during the Eureka Rebellion. The miners had their very own Eureka Flag upon which they swore an oath to defy the government.
The best part of Ballarat other than the gold mining history is the lake! Lake Wendouree is nothing special to look at (I didn't even take a photo), however the origin of its name is a classic! According to the folk tale, a settler in Ballarat asked a local aboriginal woman washing her clothes in the then-swamp what she called this place. Her reply was 'wendaaree!' meaning 'go away', and so the lake was named 'go away'!
Soverign Hill is a different story all together. A movie set style village on one side and a museum on the other, this feels like a tourist attraction straight out of the U.S.A.
You can ride around the village on a horse and carriage, visit different types of mines and explore shops selling souvenirs and goods that would've been sold during the gold rush.
If you've come to Sovereign Hill, you have to go on the gold mine tour. They'll take you on an underground tour of a constructed mine.
There are actors and actresses dotted around the village working in jobs which would've helped contribute to the mining boom in the 1850's.
All-in-all, Ballarat and Sovereign Hill make for an interesting day trip, but because Sovereign Hill was purpose-built after the gold rush you get that distinct feel of a tourist trap. You have been warned!
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