Gold in them hills

I SHOULD have known better when the guide said that I could keep any gold I was to discover. Of course, after an hour of fruitless panning there was no gold and I am sure if anyone should discover any, the area would be sealed off and gold claims staked out.

It's not that gold hasn't been claimed from the river but it's all gone these days. In its place is one of the most interactive and exciting tourist destinations in Australia. Sovereign Hill in the Victorian city of Ballarat is a replica gold mining village that dates back to the mid 19th century when Australia's first gold rush started.

The Australian gold rushes were typical of others in the New World. In 1851, gold was discovered in Clunes near Ballarat in central Victoria. Within three months, over 8,000 miners descended upon the tranquil rural landscape.

They came from England, the California goldfields and China.

Historic townships in Victoria like Ballarat and Beechworth now attract tou-rists interested in learning more about the history of the gold rush period. Old gold mining structures have been incorporated into Ballarat's premier tourist attraction of Sovereign Hill which is a fascinating reconstruction of an 1860's gold mining town.

Visitors can even pan for their own gold and keep the samples should they be lucky enough to find a speck or two. While visitors desperately look into the bottom of their gold pan for a shining speck they can reflect upon the 'Welcome Nugget' discovered here during the gold rush. Being the world's second largest gold nugget it weighed in at a staggering 69kg of 99 per cent pure gold.

This 'living museum' is a fascinating and educational destination for families especially kids who will run around eagerly seeking out all the old-fashioned facilities, machinery and displays. Gold pouring demonstrations are popular and visitors can watch as 3kg bullion bars are produced from molten gold.

There are regular displays in all the buildings and stage coaches ferry visitors to the various activities on the 25ha site. There's even a replica of the Eureka Stockade where one of Australia's first stands of defiance against authority occurred in 1854 and some 22 miners were killed by soldiers.

Ballarat itself is a very historic city with many grand public buildings which reflect the wealth generated in the local community by gold.

The Great Southern Woolshed is another attraction worth visiting for it pays tribute to many Australian bush traditions such as sheep shearing.

Ballarat is just 105km northwest of Melbourne, the airport gateway for Asian travellers.

The Brunei Times