There's gold in them thar hills

We started the day at the The Eureka Centre. Tired of paying taxes with no say in the lawmaking, a bunch of miners at the Ballarat goldfields decided one day enough was enough and built a stockade. The government response was quite a bit over the top, and involving storming the stockade and killing several miners. This was considered a turning point in Australian history, where for the first time the idea of Australians versus just colonists was being raised. The Eureka Centre tells the story of the events leading up to the fatal day, and is an excellent, interactive museum that sets the scene nicely.

But for the full immersion experience, you have to go to Sovereign Hill. This living history recreation of a mining camp circa 1850 is top notch, with the standards you expect such as a blacksmith and candle maker with some really nice extras.

For example, they smelt a $100,000 worth of gold into a bar during one demonstration. Our tour happened to coincide with a school group coming through. They were dutifully impressed, and so were we.

They also have an antique bowling alley, powder demonstrations, and every day the redcoats march through town to show the town who's in charge.

At night, they have a sound and light show recreating the events at the Eureka stockade. Good stuff!