The Golden Triangle - Victoria’s Goldfields

We spent a week and a half in the region known as the Victorian Goldfields’ ‘Golden Triangle’.  The points of the triangle are the towns of Ballarat, Maryborough and Bendigo.

Victoria's 'Golden Triangle'

Immensely rich ‘nugget’ gold discoveries in the early 1850s sparked one of the largest gold-rushes the world has seen.  Fortune-seekers from across the globe swarmed into the area to try and strike it rich.

First stop for us was a quiet shady camp on the banks of a dry creek just 10km from Ballarat (population ~ 120,000).  We based ourselves here for three days, making trips into the city each day to learn more about the place.  I will describe three points of interest that grabbed our attention in/about Ballarat.

First and foremost, of course, is Ballarat’s, rich gold mining history.  So much gold!  Over 10,000,000 ounces in ten years - all dug by hand!  One or two gullies mined by prospectors were so rich that it has been recorded thus:

The Canadian and Prince Regent gullies proved fabulously rich in alluvial gold when they were worked in 1853.  At the junction of these leads near the Canadian Creek were the famed ‘jeweller’s shops’, which yielded up to 500oz (14kg) of bright nuggety gold for every foot (30cm) mined.  This was perhaps the richest patch of alluvial gold the world has known.

In today’s money, 500oz @ US$1,300/oz, is worth US$650,000 - this value was being extracted from every linear foot that was mined!

Second, and directly related to gold, is the Battle of Eureka.  The Eureka Rebellion took place in 1854.  It was the culmination of gold miners’ objection to the cost of a miners licence (as a form of taxation), imposed by the government of the day and the heavy handed manner in which the police and military went about their enforcement of compliance.

Photo of a painting depicting the Battle of the Eureka Stockade with Red-Coated soldiers storming the stockade established by the miners 

For many, the Eureka Rebellion is identified as the ‘birth of democracy’ in Australia.  Nowadays it is common to see the Eureka Flag, which was the flag of the 1854 rebellion, as a symbol of Australian independence, of freedom from domination (foreign or otherwise).

Replica of the original Eureka Flag 

Is this a possible future Australian Flag?  Stylised Southern Cross 'Eureka' on Aboriginal Flag background. 

Third, is the magnificent tribute to servicemen and women that served in WW1, known as the Avenue of Honour.  This avenue stretches for 22 km and was established to honour each and every serviceman and woman (not just those that fell), from the Ballarat area that enlisted to serve their country in World War 1.  3,801 trees were planted along the sides of the avenue, each tree representing an individual serviceperson.  At the base of each tree is a brass plaque bearing the person’s name, rank and battalion in which they served.  At 22km in length it is one of the longest such Avenues of Honour in the world.

The 'Arch of Victory' marks the start of the 22km long tree-lined Avenue of Honour

After our time in Ballarat we moved on to spend some time in the Maryborough area and then further onwards towards Bendigo.   As with Ballarat, Bendigo (population ~ 100,000), has plenty of gold mining history on display with numerous impressive old buildings and parklands right in the centre of town.  With no disrespect to Ballarat, we felt Bendigo to be more ‘stately’ and 'liveable' than it’s more ‘gritty’ sister city of Ballarat.  We enjoyed our time in the area very much.

Next, WTF? - Where are The Farrows?, leave the goldfields behind (without any gold to show for Heather’s detecting efforts) and spend some time in the Murray Valley camping along the banks of Australia’s biggest river - The Murray River.