City of Ballarat history, Victoria

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BALLARAT
Early pastoral settlement began in the late 1830's when small parties from Geelong ventured north to establish sheep farms in the area, but it was not until 1851 when gold was discovered at nearby Clunes that increased numbers visited the area in search of gold. Other finds soon followed; at Buninyong, just south of Ballarat, and in Ballarat itself. These additional finds soon prompted a 'mini gold-rush' to the region and, while it was short-lived, some 1,000 diggers were operating in and around Ballarat by late 1851. Sufficient discoveries were made to encourage new diggers to the fields, and as new, and richer finds were made, a flood of immigrants arrived from all over the world to seek their fortunes. At one stage there were some 60,000 diggers scouring the rich alluvial soils around Ballarat. By 1918, when the last mine closed, some 60,000 tons of gold had been removed including 43 nuggets weighing over 100 ounces (2.8kg.) each. Some were massive ! At nearby Molaguil in 1869, the purest, large nugget in the world was recorded. 'The Welcome Stranger' measured 21 inches long (53cm.) and 10 inches thick (26cm.) and weighed a staggering 69.9kg. of pure gold. Despite the incredible wealth below the ground, all was not smooth sailing for the Ballarat diggers.When gold was first discovered the government deemed that mining for gold without a license was illegal, and set a figure of £1.10.0 ($3.00) per month as a license fee. Those without a license were dragged off to 'The Logs' and chained up. Resentment grew among the miners and in 1854 a Ballarat Reform League was established to represent the diggers against increasing aggravation by officials on the fields. This culminated in the famous 'Eureka Rebellion' of 3rd. Dec. 1854 (see separate story). The 'Eureka Rebellion' is unique in Australian history and is told in many places around Ballarat. Eventually the easy gold ran out and it was left to the larger, more organised companies to extract the precious metal from greater and greater depths. Expensive machinery, large amounts of money, and great skill replaced the diggers of the plains. Much of the wealth generated from beneath the goldfields was put back on the surface. During the 1860's Ballarat became an exporter of expertise and machinery to other goldfields around Australia, and around the world. The emphasis moved back to agriculture, live-stock and industry. During this period many of the fine buildings which still exist were constructed. A walk along Sturt St. or Lydiard St. will give the visitor some idea of the grandeur the city had in the late 19th. century.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BALLARAT

Early pastoral settlement began in the late 1830's when small parties from Geelong ventured north to establish sheep farms in the area, but it was not until 1851 when gold was discovered at nearby Clunes that increased numbers visited the area in search of gold. Other finds soon followed; at Buninyong, just south of Ballarat, and in Ballarat itself. These additional finds soon prompted a 'mini gold-rush' to the region and, while it was short-lived, some 1,000 diggers were operating in and around Ballarat by late 1851.
Sufficient discoveries were made to encourage new diggers to the fields, and as new, and richer finds were made, a flood of immigrants arrived from all over the world to seek their fortunes. At one stage there were some 60,000 diggers scouring the rich alluvial soils around Ballarat. By 1918, when the last mine closed, some 60,000 tons of gold had been removed including 43 nuggets weighing over 100 ounces (2.8kg.) each. Some were massive ! At nearby Molaguil in 1869, the purest, large nugget in the world was recorded. 'The Welcome Stranger' measured 21 inches long (53cm.) and 10 inches thick (26cm.) and weighed a staggering 69.9kg. of pure gold.
Despite the incredible wealth below the ground, all was not smooth sailing for the Ballarat diggers.When gold was first discovered the government deemed that mining for gold without a license was illegal, and set a figure of £1.10.0 ($3.00) per month as a license fee. Those without a license were dragged off to 'The Logs' and chained up. Resentment grew among the miners and in 1854 a Ballarat Reform League was established to represent the diggers against increasing aggravation by officials on the fields. This culminated in the famous 'Eureka Rebellion' of 3rd. Dec. 1854 (see separate story). The 'Eureka Rebellion' is unique in Australian history and is told in many places around Ballarat.
Eventually the easy gold ran out and it was left to the larger, more organised companies to extract the precious metal from greater and greater depths. Expensive machinery, large amounts of money, and great skill replaced the diggers of the plains.
Much of the wealth generated from beneath the goldfields was put back on the surface. During the 1860's Ballarat became an exporter of expertise and machinery to other goldfields around Australia, and around the world. The emphasis moved back to agriculture, live-stock and industry. During this period many of the fine buildings which still exist were constructed. A walk along Sturt St. or Lydiard St. will give the visitor some idea of the grandeur the city had in the late 19th. century.