When was sovereign hill made

Hi Poss, I absolutely loved Sovereign Hill, it is so well recreated! I hope to go back some time with international visitors. Absolutely amazing photos!! I might pop this on the list! Thanks for sharing! Hi Angela, thank you for your comment.

I look forward to going back there! Oh, I just LOVE places like this where you simply step back in time and fall in time with the pace of life back then! Great pictures! Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. LesterLost a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon. Skip to content Sharing is caring! Table of Contents. General Blacksmith. Red Hill Photographic Rooms.

Ballarat Times. Printing Press. Grocery Store. Post Office. Old Junk. Clockmakers Store. Apothecaries Hall. New York Bakery. Charles Napier Hotel. Scales at the Napier Hotel. The Waterloo Store. Clarke Brothers. Undertakers and Candle Works. Coffin making in progress. Candle Works. Soho Foundry. Tin Smiths. Foundry equipment. Fire Station and Bowling Salon. Cooling the sweets. Gold pouring. Gold panning. Chinese houses. A rose arch greets visitors as they enter through the white picket gate into the garden.

Perfumed flowers like roses, lavender and daphne were popular because it was believed at the time that good smells kept you healthy while bad smells could make you sick. Many 19th century gardeners were also interested in growing exotic plants and hunting for rare species, which is why gunnera manicata giant rhubarb features on the left side of the cottage.

This garden is marked on the Sovereign Hill guide map by a blue circle. The garden behind Linton Cottage full of springtime foods. There is a kitchen garden located behind Linton Cottage across the road from the Bright View Cottage which grows fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs. Like many people on the goldfields, the owners of such a property improved their position in society by growing food for sale in the grocery store.

The trees grown in this garden are apple, pear and walnut. There is also a grapevine along the back fence. The vegetables produced by this garden change with the season, and the herbs are grown partly for their ability to control pests; rhubarb and pyrethrum can be used to keep insects away.

This garden also has a compost bin to replace the nutrients in the soil; using the garden scraps to make compost to spread on the garden beds helps plants grow better. There is also a large chicken coop for the production of eggs, meat, feathers and fertiliser.

It is marked on the map by a yellow circle. An example of a productive vegetable garden in the Golden Point Chinese Camp. These two gardens found in the Golden Point Chinese Camp tell different stories.

The first demonstrates the way Chinese miners from the late s onwards produced fresh food for themselves and sometimes the broader community. As most of the Chinese miners had been farmers back home in China, many were skilled at growing vegetables. Typically, these gardens were grown communally.

So, they would take it in turns to look after them while others went mining. An example of a medicinal garden owned by a Chinese herbalist. The second of these gardens in the Chinese Camp would have belonged to a herbalist whose replica store is close by.

Today, we would call him a Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioner. Both these gardens are identified by the green circle on the map. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria has become warmer and drier since the s. This encourages our gardeners to plant more drought-tolerant species than would have been grown in the past.

The Wadawurrung people — the Traditional Custodians of the Ballarat region — supplied black wattle sap as a diarrhoea medicine to European miners.

Many native plants were promoted across the landscape over thousands of years by Aboriginal people to provide food, fibre and medicine. Some features seen in our gardens are not as they were in the s for quite different reasons. For example, while you can see poppies growing at Sovereign Hill, they are not the opium poppies you might have seen in goldrush gardens in the 19th century; real opium poppies can be turned into powerful drugs of addiction.

Finally, foxes only became a pest in Australia after their introduction in Ballarat and Geelong in the s. Therefore, while s chicken coops were not built to keep them out, our chicken enclosures need to be much sturdier, as we do sometimes have foxes in the gardens at night. Walk around your own garden with fresh eyes.

How and why were so many exotic street trees planted in Australia? Posted in 19th century , 19th century medicine , animals , chinese miners , chinese on the diggings , Environment , goldrush food , health on the goldfields , history of medicine , history of victoria , Indigenous , miasma theory , Sovereign Hill , then and now , Uncategorized , Victorian Gold Rush , victorian goldrush chinese , victorian history. Tagged Chinese , food , research.

Some were of great use to the miners and their families as a source of transport or food, while others were security guards, working animals and even served as hot water bottles. Many native animals were just living their lives but when gold mining changed their habitat, they had to relocate to different parts of Victoria as the risk of becoming extinct was high.

Rugs made from possum-skins like this one would keep people very warm during a cold Ballarat winter. The Wadawurrung people made these to sell to the miners, who paid a lot of money for such soft and life-saving rugs.

The Wadawurrung people encouraged certain native animals across this region for thousands of years before the arrival of the European squatters and then gold miners in the s. Animals such as brushtail possums, eels and grey kangaroos were plentiful around Ballarat because traditional Wadawurrung landscape management took care of them by making sure their sources of food were in rich supply. This meant that when people wanted to make use of these animals for food or clothing, they could easily be located and collected.

However, enough of each species was always left alive at the end of a hunt to ensure people living in this area could keep eating and using products from these animals long into the future. After , European farmers known as squatters brought introduced animals such as sheep, cows, goats, and horses to what we now call the State of Victoria.

The introduction of these animals mainly sheep and the use of European farming practices changed the landscape in terms of the kinds of plants and trees that covered it. As a result, the habitats for native animals were affected. While some native species survived, others became locally extinct like quolls, bandicoots and bustards [also known as bush turkeys] because Europeans ate them in unsustainable numbers, or the introduced animals seized their ecological niche.

This means that today there is a mix of native and introduced species wherever you go in Australia, from kookaburras to sparrows in the sky, wombats to foxes on land, and blue-ringed octopuses to European green shore crabs in our oceans. We had kangaroo-soup, roasted [wild] turkey well stuffed, a boiled leg of mutton, a parrot-pie, potatoes, and green peas; next, a plum pudding and strawberry-tart, with plenty of cream. By a Lady , , p. The gold rushes began in and brought hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world to the shores of Victoria.

Many of these new migrants transported yet more animals with them. For this reason, there are many dogs featured in the sketches of ST Gill , one of the most famous goldrush artists. Some animals were even introduced from the late s onward to help Europeans ease their homesickness! Songbirds like sparrows, starlings and blackbirds were thought to make the Australian bush sound more like England. The most useful of horse breeds on the diggings were draft horses, also known as Clydesdales — these are the biggest and strongest type of horse.

Horses were also in high demand during the early years of the gold rushes before the need for steam-powered machines increased , as all mining work relied on muscle power. Likewise, horses could be attached to machines that were used to free gold from paydirt and quartz rock, for example, puddling machines and Chilean mills.

People and goods could also move around by horse or sometimes bullock. This vehicle could carry up to 60 people from Ballarat to Geelong with the help of 16 horses, but it did not prove very successful. Sheep fat was commonly used to make soap for washing clothes and bodies. Candles could also be made from animal fat. Many animals were also brought by the new arrivals for food. Goats and cows were milked to produce dairy products to feed miners and their families, while chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys were farmed for eggs and their meat.

However, the meat that was most commonly eaten on the Victorian goldfields in the s was mutton old sheep. You can see many animals around Sovereign Hill which represent the animals that were brought here by goldrush migrants. Some animals also toured the Victorian goldfields as entertainment — read about the visits from a tiger, an elephant and two zebras that came to Ballarat in the s here.

Next time you visit Sovereign Hill, perhaps you could take photos to write a story book about the many animals that miners would have encountered on the diggings — from native animals to domesticated pets and animals that produce food. In the s, animals were even used to create the red colour of raspberry drops.

The cochineal beetle from Brazil was dried and ground-up to make red dye. Posted in 19th century , animals , bushfire , chinese miners , chinese on the diggings , Environment , fire stick farming , gold , goldrush fashion , goldrush food , history of victoria , History Teaching , history teaching resources , Immigration , Indigenous , S T Gill , Sovereign Hill , Uncategorized , Victorian Gold Rush , victorian goldrush chinese , victorian history , women.

Tagged animals , education , food , gold rush , history , immigration , sweets. George Browning, Eureka Stockade, , Is this a primary or secondary source of historical information? Do you think it is an accurate representation of the Eureka Stockade Battle?

There are many parts of the Eureka Rebellion also known as the Eureka Stockade story that we know are historical facts, but there are many other parts that will forever remain uncertain, and even unknowable. This should not stop us from being curious about this interesting and important event in Australian history, as history is full of uncertainties.

Sometimes these can be solved by more research, or even new ways of collecting and examining evidence, but sometimes they have to remain a mystery.

The history you learn in the school subject often called History or Humanities is driven by the curiosity of academic historians, and their job is tell the truest version of our history. This can change over time when new evidence is found, or when evidence is interpreted from a new perspective. Ultimately, stretching our critical and creative thinking muscles is really important in the study of history. Historians know for a fact that this famous Australian event occurred on Sunday, 3 December How is this knowable?

Historians can find lots of primary source evidence that was written by people who experienced the Eureka Stockade Battle and all claim the event happened on this day.

Here are two examples 1 , 2 of such primary sources that corroborate which means agree with each other to tell us that the date this event happened was indeed Sunday, 3 December Charles Doudiet, Eureka Slaughter 3 rd December , Ballarat Fine Art Gallery Collection.

Reproduced with permission from Wikipedia Commons. When historians can agree on something like a date, we can be very confident that such a detail is an historical fact. In the same way, we can know for a fact that it was a fight between Redcoat soldiers and a group of mostly European goldminers, and that people on both sides died on the day of the battle.

Aunty Marlene Gilson, Surviving on the Goldfields , There are some parts of the story that historians do not agree on, and they probably never will. These are uncertainties, or things we cannot currently know based on the available historical evidence.

For example, there is a debate about exactly where the Eureka Stockade Battle took place, and just how many people died as a result of it. There are questions around the role of women and children in the days leading up to, and during, the fight itself. A Wadawurrung oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation also exists. It describes Europeans running to the Aboriginal camp near the stockade to keep safe during the fighting — you can learn more about this here.

While there is some evidence to support all of these aspects of the Eureka Rebellion story, we cannot be completely confident that these stories are true, and we may never be able to know for sure. And that is okay — we should still learn about them as possible truths about this historical event. All historical stories contain facts and uncertainties; we simply have to keep our versions of the story honest by stating which parts we can know, and which parts are currently unknowable.

Some reasons why we will never know exactly how many people died during the Eureka Stockade Battle are:. Amongst these, and the persons in custody, several leaders of the insurrection appear, two of whom lie dangerously, if not mortally wounded, in hotels near the spot. Reproduced with permission from the City of Ballarat Historical Collection. Photo credit: Tony Evans Photography. There are also historical uncertainties surrounding the most famous Eureka Rebellion artefact — the Eureka Flag.

While recent scientific study of the flag has helped us better understand what the flag is made of, we will never know exactly who made it. However, since this book was published, museum conservators have undertaken some study of the flag stars to reveal they are made from a wool fabric, which 19th century fashion experts tell us was not the kind of material used to make nightdresses.

Before this research was undertaken, the stars were believed to be made of a fine cotton linen, from which nightdresses were commonly made at this time in history. The blue part of the flag used to be thought of as wool, but this new research tells us it is mostly cotton. This demonstrates how important it is to keep our minds open as to how the flag was made; the nightdress explanation was just a theory which has now evolved and been made less certain thanks to this new research.

Until new evidence or new ways of undertaking research come to light, many aspects of the Eureka Rebellion story have to remain unknowable. What other historical events or characters have question marks hanging over them? Posted in 19th century , 40th regiment , Eureka , eureka rebellion , Eureka Stockade , gold , history of medicine , history of victoria , History Teaching , history teaching resources , Indigenous , redcoat , Uncategorized , Victorian Gold Rush , victorian history.

Tagged Eureka , history , medicine , newspapers , research. During the 19th century, what we now call the State of Victoria changed dramatically. In , it was an organised collection of Aboriginal cultural landscapes, and by , it was dotted with new industrial cities while the countryside was covered by farms featuring exotic animals and plants.

Maps showing how much the surface of the landscapes have changed in Victoria since colonisation. In Ballarat, the Wadawurrung people farmed many plants and animals and in some places still do today , often using fire to weed certain areas or to promote new growth. For example, on the sunny plains they farmed the murnong — a root vegetable like a mini-sweet potato. In forest areas with lots of old trees, they farmed the brushtail possum — the meat was eaten while the pelt the skin with the fur on could be turned into warm, waterproof clothing.

By looking after landscapes carefully, they made sure there would be plenty of murnong and possums for the next generation and the many who would come after them. Such landscapes are today called Aboriginal cultural landscapes. After , when hundreds and then thousands of European immigrants — mainly English and Scottish people — arrived to colonise South Eastern Australia with their flocks of sheep, traditional Aboriginal lifestyles and landscape management practices were interrupted.

In the following sixteen years, almost all of what came to be called Victoria was divided up and made the private property of individual European farmers known as squatters and their families, leaving only the largest mountains and deserts un-colonised. The huge amount of wool that was produced as a result of this was sent to the new factories of England, and made many of these squatters very rich.

Some historians believe this was the fastest land-grab in human history, with fences, foreign animals and protective European farmers with guns taking over. A map of Victoria which demonstrates how quickly European colonisation happened in this part of Australia. Reproduced with permission from the Gold Museum Ballarat Collection. Now, murnong is only found in a few places across the state.

It fed people for tens of thousands of years thought to have eight times more nutrition than the potatoes we buy from the supermarket today and was a staple of Aboriginal diets all across South Eastern Australia meaning it was eaten regularly, like most Australians now eat bread. Its sudden disappearance had grave consequences for 19th century Aboriginal communities.

The rapid changes to local landscapes left many Aboriginal people hungry. Occasionally they stole sheep, fruit and vegetables from the European farms to keep their families from starving.

Some of the squatters reacted by killing the Aboriginal people who took these possessions, or any other Aboriginal people they found on or near their farms after a theft had taken place. As a result, we know that at least 69 massacres of Aboriginal people where 6 or more people are killed at a time occurred during the first sixteen years of European colonisation of what we now call Victoria.

This often meant learning English, wearing European clothes, and eating the foods common to a European diet at the time. It is great to have such a family focused viewpoint to plan for the interests of various ages and get the most out of it all. Very well written. She and the children and hubby obviously had a great time and got involved in all the activities.

And what a prize! Wow what a review! Belinha was very informative about her experience. From the gold panning to having tea and scones to the activities that were experienced. What an amazing adventure they had!! Very comprehensive! I loved her honesty not sure if it was going to meet expectation 35 years later , and she really sold the value of the VIP pass.

Thanks Sarah. On the way home that night I was quizzing master 4 the shovel holder! Totally captiviated! Love the photos and detailed description. Felt like i was there reading this.

Belinda gives a glowing family real life review of what fun there is to have- with four school aged kids- sounds like an ideal family fun day out.

I loved that there was so much detail and lets you know what there is to do. No matter how old you are there is something for you to enjoy. Would love to take my 2 boys 4 and 1 one day.

Especially with all the great photos included! I loved the whole experience of learning about our past history. I am 53 and have never been to Ballarat and would love the same experience Belinda did. To even hold a piece of gold that big is a huge experience.

Pretty scary going down in the mine but then you would be able to understand what the workers go through these days. And then there is the atmosphere of the entire place with the costumes and actors. I love that her son is wearing an Adelaide Crows hat, but the light show looks amazing. Great suggestion to see the show the night before too.

This review has made my very excited at the prospect no pun intended. Very cute! It was truly awesome and loved how easy it was for the kids to get swept up in it all. I loved the vibrant photographs showing how much fun her family was having!

They got to have a go at all sorts of interesting activities! I can see this would keep kids engaged all day. Your whole blowminding review was incredible i love it all but the black and white photo priceless!!

Brings back awsome memories of when i went to there as a child. She really covered everything. It was an amazing review. Sounds like thing have even improved. Wow brings back memories of myself going there with my family when I was younger. I would love to take my son to experience all the different things they have to offer. Hahaha I actually had to photoshop out a butt crack Carly so I could use the pic! I love the look of the sound and light show.

Something we definitely need to do next time. Loads of fire? My 3 year old would LOVE that! Clearly I must visit soon. I love the candle making part, what a great idea!

Your witty comments with matching pics certainly had me cacking to myself muchly! Visiting the school looks like it would be a lot of fun and I have to admit the dessert with gold on top is really cute and looks delish!

Love the United States Hotel — so authentic and I enjoyed the humour in that photo. In fact all the photos are awesome! Her passionate review perfectly captures every magical moment I remember from when I was a child! Makes me want to share the experience with my family now! Very honest and exactly what I would be thinking too. She showed that it was indeed very professional and an authentic experience. Belinda made me yearn for panning gold, to be whipped back into the days of Gold Mining and her true honestly about her experience.

Loved the pictures and her sense of humour. We went few years ago with my 3 kids, my son is Autistic. While waiting in line he was made fun off in front of about 30 people because of the way he talked by a staff member. He was 9 at the time he was absolutely devastated and totally embarrassed by the whole thing. I complained to them and to this day no one bothered to get back to me.

We hope to go again soon because it is a lovely place and hope we have a better experience. Your review was great, it bought back so many memories of my childhood visits to Sovereign Hill. I was glad to hear that the Blood under the Southern Cross is so good, I still have not experienced that and would love to!

She has explained her journey and experience in detail which motivate us to experience sovereign hill in a more enjoyable manner. The pictures support her views. We have been there about 6 years ago. Now that I have kids I would like to enjoy this great experience with the family.

Wow… What a trip down memory lane! I have great memories of going to sovereign hill as a child, and was only saying recently that I would like to share that experience with my girls. I was glad Belinda and her family had such a great time. I loved her whole review.

It reminded me of when I was younger and visited somewhere like this in primary school where we panned for gold and stayed in an old country town.

Wow, I totally forgot about that. It is like you are really there. Very informative Belinda and it makes me want to get up and go there right now, sounds like so much fun for the whole family.

Whst a great review!! Great honest review. Very thorough and has lots of great tips and hints to make the most of a visit. Amy Gormley. I liked the way Belinda compared her visit 35 years ago to what her family did together now.

Sovereign Hill is a wonderful experience where everyone learns in a hands on, fun way. The activities Belinda and her family enjoyed certainly showed that. I loved the whole review and the super cute pics but I actually really loved the heads up Belinda gave to see the lights and sounds show if you can!

Great tip! Indeed a picture tells a thousand words! Her pictures give more vividness to the awesome amazing experience one can have visiting the Sovereign Hill. And I have two little boys as well, so I can really get some pointers on what to do from her experience should I be very lucky to win the family pass. Looks like an amazing place. Never new Sovereign Hill a place like this existed.

Would love to win this. I love the tip to attend the sound and light show the night before. Wow your write up is so detailed and covers everything! Well Done!!

I would love to take our Master Four to Sovereign Hill and experience this awesome place. Thank you so much Belinda your review was amazing…so very informative and whilst reading it I could actually picture what is was like living in the s.

I loved that it made me want to take my children to Sovereign Hill, to experience the fun and history of the era andplace. I have to admit, I am more excited than anyone to go to Sovereign hill. I have been nagging my partner to take me for a year now, ever since I moved to Victoria. Belinda your review just made me crank up the nagging notch up to extreme!! Love the photos!

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Author Belinda Jennings Belinda's a passionate advocate for community and connection. Oct 22, Oct 15, Sep 27, Jacqui Day 6 years ago Reply. Maree Gray 6 years ago Reply.

Natalie Cain 6 years ago Reply. Abbi 6 years ago Reply. Lisa Buzz 6 years ago Reply. Great review — love the tip about seeing the light show the day before! Lisa B. Fiona 6 years ago Reply. Charelle Krulic 6 years ago Reply. Racheal M 6 years ago Reply.

Carmen Soto 6 years ago Reply. Anastasia Xynos 6 years ago Reply. Red Hill Mine tours sounds fantastic and educational! Michelle Green 6 years ago Reply. I love the photos, they really do tell a thousand words! Judith Maunders 6 years ago Reply. Milly Kiely 6 years ago Reply. Chaz 6 years ago Reply. Jessica Charles 6 years ago Reply. Kids panning for gold looks like so much fun. Ern 6 years ago Reply. A picture to me most definitely does say a thousand words. Di 6 years ago Reply.

Janelle 6 years ago Reply. Rebecca Young 6 years ago Reply. Sounds fun. Jodie Evans 6 years ago Reply. Lauren Barnes 6 years ago Reply. Angela Barone 6 years ago Reply. Kelly Arndt 6 years ago Reply. Traci Hampson 6 years ago Reply. Jenny Woods 6 years ago Reply. Julie Hodsman 6 years ago Reply. I loved reading about the Devonshire Tea, because my family loves loves loves scones!

Dani 6 years ago Reply. Nicole Woods 6 years ago Reply. Rachel K 6 years ago Reply. Cindy Nickels 6 years ago Reply. Tamara Taaffe 6 years ago Reply. MelM 6 years ago Reply. Have always wanted to take the kids there, looks like a lot of fun.

Bet Hogan 6 years ago Reply. The whole review was very interesting reading, the panning for Gold really looks like fun. Deb Lee 6 years ago Reply. Emma P. Trish Leonard 6 years ago Reply. Mandy Graham 6 years ago Reply. Scott Crumlin 6 years ago Reply. I love the photos that go with the review they allow you to visualize the whole day. Lisa Loizou 6 years ago Reply.

I loved the photos of the gold mining! My kids would love to do that. Great photos!! Linda Luczak 6 years ago Reply. Tania Hardman 6 years ago Reply. Natasha Page 6 years ago Reply. Margot Farquharson 6 years ago Reply. Diane Hanmer 6 years ago Reply. Drunk policeman wandering around sounds interesting! Julie 6 years ago Reply. Barbara Fehmel 6 years ago Reply. Mum Central 6 years ago Reply. Oh yeah you really got to appreciate just how lucky we are and how much they went without!

Jos Alberto 6 years ago Reply. The lights and sound shows not to be missed! SonyaS 6 years ago Reply. Belinda Bee 6 years ago Reply. Loredana Giannaris 6 years ago Reply. Cassy 6 years ago Reply. Judith Whitehead 6 years ago Reply. Adele Brown 6 years ago Reply. That her 4 year old son enjoyed the entire experience. Itching to take my own young son. Alison 6 years ago Reply. Thanks Alison — hope you get to take the grandkids someday soon. Belinda Murray 6 years ago Reply. Mardi Storken 6 years ago Reply.

Kristy Lee Coles 6 years ago Reply. Melanie 6 years ago Reply. Jane 6 years ago Reply. Alex 6 years ago Reply. Gervase Dsylva 6 years ago Reply. Melissa Mckeown 6 years ago Reply. Melissa Puli 6 years ago Reply.