20120312 VIC Ballarat

20120312 The good thing about the Winnebago is we sit high in the truck, and I can manage to get lots of fly by shoots, the bad thing is you can't stop easily, hence the fly by shoots.

Entering the tunnel before hitting Melbourne now we know where on the right track.

 I just missed a Tram going through Melbourne.

The motor way through Melbourne quite impressive I thought, then again  I'll take photos of anything, Des often says what are you taken photos of it's just a bridge, ya but it's a nice bridge.

Gotta love these signs.

Bails of hay made for an interesting shoot.

Yaa!we made it to Ballarat now to find Sovereign Hill, we always seam to get bum steers when it come to directions, we following the street signs that took us to no where, I ended up phoning the centre for direction before Des bust a poffu valve.  It was to late to go through so we booked tickets for the night show which also included entrance to the Gold Museum and Sovereign Hill the next day.  Murder Betrayal Rebellion performance starting at 8.30pm so we parked up near the entrance,brought Chinese, a little nap then off to the show, bugger no photos aloud.  The Murder Betrayal Rebellion at Sovereign Hills presents "Blood on the Southern Cross a sound and light spectacular based on the Rebellion between the Government and the miners over paying for a licence to mine.  If found without a licence they were fined 10 pounds or chained to a log until the fine was paid.

20120313 The Gold Museum opened at 9.30 so we were up and, in the Museum, early then onto Sovereign Hill.

The Gold Museum

Rock Drill- Compressed air rock drills were used to make holes for explosives to blast the rock face replacing slower manual methods, but the advantage came at a human cost.  Razor sharp particles of silica dust were produced as the drill worked through the quarts.  Silica became lodged in miners' lungs causing them to suffer from silicosis, also known as miner's complaints causing early death to many miners.  The drill became known as widow-maker.

Ladies wore this item under their dress which made it stick out on there bottom, how uncomfortable would that be.

Used to raise & lower miners in underground quartz mines. If the cable connecting the cage to the steam-driven winding engine broke, the spring activated safety 'dog' which clamped shut on timber runners inside the shaft stopping the cage from plugging to the bottom. Carrying up to 4 to 5 miners at one time.

Mine Safety Cage late 19th century.

These old scales were used to weigh gold.

                   

Just for you Nick, love the old cameras.

It started back in 1838 when a squatter called William Yuille camped on the shores of the Black Swamp, now known as Lake Wendouree.  "Bella" "Arat" was derived from the meaning resting or camping place.  Gold was discovered at Poverty Point in 1851 by John Dunlop & James Regan who found a few ounces while panning in the Candaian Creek.  By the following year there were around 20,000 diggers searching in the shafts of Ballarat Goldfields.

My day at  Sovereign Hills, the picture say it all, I wish we had this around Brisbane for photo shoot. 

A make shift of the cabins in the 1850s inside and out.

In those days plans had to be put on a black board the exact size of each part due to the lack of education.  They would make the part a put it against the drawing to make sure it was the exact size.

This one's for you Ken, the old time Fire truck and the water hose carriage.

Des preaching, whats new.

The boiler room.

The town is apparently an exact Replica of the old times.

Mine Shaft

How cool is this carriage and  Draft Horses driving around the town,  Check out the little girl on the corner also dressed in the 1850s cloths.

Mining for gold, it's all gone.

This place is astounding the customs and buildings are a replica of the mining days, now that's a job I could enjoy.