Walk through the city of gold diggers

Near Melbourne in Victoria is a small town called Ballarat. His very famous landmark - town of miners Sovereign Hill.

In fact the whole town is a museum under the open sky era of the gold rush, as it is here the workers flocked from all over Australia in the second half of the 19th century with the purpose of search of gold.

The discovery of gold mines in the radically changed the demographic situation in Australia. If before the main colonists were prisoners and their guards, and to a lesser extent, farmers, but now they have become eager to get rich quick gold diggers. A colossal influx of voluntary immigrants from around the world provided by the Working hands for years to come. In ten years, the number of settlers has tripled.

Many historians believe that the gold mine at Ballarat was the largest in the world, because here were found the world's largest deposits of alluvial gold, against which pales even the Klondike. This fact is attributed to the rapid development of the surrounding area of ​​Melbourne, which is likely, since the maintenance of a vast army of miners required numerous shopkeepers and artisans, engineers, bankers and lawyers. Unfortunately, the golden stream ended as abruptly as it had begun. The last mine closed in 1918. Since then, dozens of ghost towns as if frozen in the form in which they were at the beginning of the XX century, when gold was over. It seemed that nothing can revive them again. However, in 1960, local authorities have started to work on the preservation of historic buildings in this area, already in the 70's there was Sovereign Hill, and life began to boil again. This is the view from the main entrance:

Go to the left - a blacksmith's shop:

The Sovereign Hill live and work more than three hundred men, women, children. And they all do what they normally do citizens in the middle of the XIX century. Of course, the gold they mined, although, in principle, everyone can try yourself in this occupation - in the local creek is still possible to pan for some trifle. But here in the rest of the inhabitants of Sovereign Hill absolutely actually do what we did their ancestors more than a hundred years ago, and on the same technology: candles, metal plates, pans, dishes, bread, furniture, horseshoes - all done tourist sight . We did not manage to find out whether the residents of Sovereign Hill actors and volunteers from Ballarat, or do they really live here around the clock. But in general, the answer is not so interesting, the most important thing is that during the opening of the park, they create the illusion that the city has not changed since the 19th century.

Here, for example, smith. Forges and sells products:

Photo studio: if you want then you can take a photo of yourself in costume of the era.

On the wall at the entrance of examples of work with tourists as models. If you do not look closely, then you do not understand that this is fake:

A prototype of a stall "Sojuzpechat"

It made funny ad style "Wanted", posters and other printed materials.

Shop with sweets!

we did not go out without a catch

Local "Children's World":

And, of course, the local post office - must be the same, say, John unsubscribe friends: "Dudes, I dug here takeeenny Bar"!

Mail, we realized - the most you like this place in the city:

Notice boards and advertising and letter-box:

So you walk around the city and completely forget that you actually live in the 21st century, high-tech world:

local bank. Touching the scale on which to weigh found a piece of gold and get cash in return.

Exchange rate:

In the streets as if nothing had happened go to the representatives of another era:

I am especially pleased with the effect of contrast with the modern crowd:

Some people do not just go and ride in the carriage:

In the local canteen, characteristically, the prices are quite modern yourself! Nepravedlivost, I think. In general, prices in the city-museum on everything several times higher than outside. Most of the products sold here and there in regular stores Ballarat, and there it is cheaper, because behind the counter of customer service is not in a suit.

Ladies Shop - my love. Bath salt and handmade soap:

Diverse jersey for home and clothes. Here my husband just hit on his hands

Threads and instructions for embroidery:

molds for baking cookies. At this point I thought it was good that I did not know how the stove, and it's so possible without the money to stay in the middle of another continent

The centerpiece of Sovereign Hill - mine for the extraction and processing of gold. Here you can walk through the pavilions, listen to the tour (for some money) about how the process is designed, and even yourself to delve into the mire in the hope of finding gold. By the way, real cases are known, when the tourists have found gold, one was even a report in the news, but I can not vouch that this is not a fake.

That is in the room air temperature is 50-60 degrees Celsius. I can not imagine how people work here, and in suits with jackets. We were there the local summer, t. E. The temperature outside was heavily over 30, and even in comparison with her boiler room, this seemed to be red-hot hell.

Most of Sovereign Hill in small houses like me personally - an imitation of how people lived here in the second half of the 19th century.

Such installations personally, I have been a mixture of interest and horror - how, for example, people can live without water and sanitation?

On the surface - a perfectly ordinary living room ..

... but if you look closely, is not so simple. This fellow walked behind us and very indignant when we dare to leave the house

Local life is not without livestock:

On the hill, away from the commercial part of the city - the school and the church.

Sawmill:

Shop utensils for the home:

Shop undertaker:

Bowling Club:

Another quite fascinating shop - here made soap and candles:

In the evening at Sovereign Hill completely deserted. Morning and afternoon are a large influx of tourists (in summer - solid school trips), so it was comfortable to come in a couple of hours before closing time, when there was nobody there. Lonely wandering through the streets, and the feeling that you are the master of all this splendor.

Local theater and part restaurant. Here you can dine in the evening after the closing of the entrance for visitors.

In the evening, Sovereign Hill held the sound and light show called Blood on the Southern Cross, telling a very touching story about how local miners defend their rights before the British government and about the uprising Eureka Rebellion, unosshee dozens of lives, but it marked the beginning long process of independence by Australia. you can not take pictures of the show, but I will say only that its main feature is that there are no actors - the only light, music and voices. Moreover - the audience at certain moments have themselves become part of the show. A very curious thing, but still at a time. Local peacock seems behind us, and we did not want to leave even before the show:

In addition to the Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, you can visit the Gold Museum, which offers a lovely view of the city. By the way, Ballarat is the largest Australian city among located inside the mainland. Children of this urban jungle to hear that it was very funny

In general, I recommend a very Ballarat tourists who have a free day in the vicinity of Melbourne. We really liked it, the only thing we have caused displeasure that even when self-organization of a trip, a day at Ballarat we cost the least AUD 400 for two. Although I do not know whether it is considered a disadvantage against the background of the average Australian price and wage