中国人在澳洲的淘金热

Gold rush history
The discovery of gold in the 1850s and 60s is the most significant event in the evolution of the state of Victoria.
Gold fever hits
Fuelled by extravagant stories of wealth gained at the 1849 Californian gold rush, gold fever hit Victoria following the early gold discoveries in and around Clunes, Warrandyte and Ballarat. But the real rush began with the discovery of the Mount Alexander goldfield 60 kilometres north-east of Ballarat.
Mt Alexander (taking in the goldfields of Castlemaine and Bendigo) was one of the world's richest shallow alluvial goldfields, yielding around four million ounces of gold, most of which was found in the first two years of the rush and within five metres of the surface. When eight tonnes of Victorian gold arrived at London's port in April 1852, the Times of London declared: '.. this is California all over again, but, it would appear, California on a larger sca le…'
Nuggets of the stuff
Mt Alexander goldfield's largest nugget was found in 1855 at Golden Gully by some inexperienced miners who had been sent to a 'duffer' or empty claim. On just their second day digging they discovered the 1008 ounce, 'damper-shaped' nugget and named it in honour of the area's popular gold commissioner, Mr Heron.
The small town of Moliagul became famous when a 69-kilogram gold nugget was found in 1869 at Bulldog Gully. Dubbed 'Welcome Stranger', the nugget was the largest in the world, though it was soon broken into pieces as the district lacked scales big enough to weigh the 60 by 30 centimetre nugget. Today the nugget would be worth over one million dollars. Population boom
By the end of 1852, 90,000 newcomers had flocked to Victoria in search of gold. Provincial cities like Ballarat and Bendigo grew, bringing railways, roads, libraries, theatres, art galleries, and stock exchanges.
In the 1850s the heaviest traffic in Australia was on the road from Melbourne to Bendigo, and by the 1880s, Melbourne was christened 'Marvellous Melbourne' – one of the world's biggest, booming, and cosmopolitan cities of the era.
Chinese history
Discover the rich history and remarkable legacy of the Chinese miners who came to Victoria during the goldrush.
Gardens and dragons
Get an introduction to the region's Chinese heritage in Bendigo's Chinese quarter exploring the Golden Dragon Museum and classical gardens. Visit the city's original Emu Point joss house (temple), built during the gold rush, which is still in use and has been classified by the National Trust.
Stories from the grave
Get a glimpse into the past at the White Hills Cemetery, Australia's largest Chinese burial ground. Pay your respects, trace family roots, and discover remnants of Chinese diggings, including circular shafts, introduced by Chinese miners for safety reasons.
Learn about burial customs on a visit to the Chinese sections in Ballarat's two cemeteries. See ceremonial burning towers, read about Chinese burial customs, and get a full record of all burial sites, including names and origins.
How it began
Through the 1850s, thousands of Chinese miners arrived to prospect for gold. By 1855 nearly 19,000 Chinese had landed in the colony, and by 1857 the population had risen to 26,000.
Golden Dragon Museum
Make time for the Golden Dragon Museum, a living history of the Chinese people of Bendigo from the goldrush of the 1850's to the present day.
Overview
Since the goldfields in the 1850's to the present day, Chinese heritage has been an integral part of Bendigo's history.
Opened in 1991, the Golden Dragon Museum aims to collect, preserve and care for materials of historical significance to the Chinese community, particularly items relevant to the goldfields region of Victoria.
Unique to the museum's collection and on permanent display are Loong and Sun Loong, the world's oldest and longest imperial dragon, along with their accompanying processional regalia. This living collection is used annually in the Bendigo Easter Procession.
Situated beside the Golden Dragon Museum, and designed to resemble the gardens in Beijing's famed Imperial Palace, are the serene and intimate settings of the Classical Chinese Garden.
Destinations : Victoria
Goldfields
Victoria struck it rich in the 1850s with the discovery of gold
at Bendigo and Ballarat. Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill is a re-
creation of an old mining town - a living museum depicting
life as it was in the gold rush days. It is simply one of
A ustralia’s best attractions and is excellent value. At the
time of writing it was $65 for a family pass and this family
did 10:00am to 5:00pm without a hint of boredom for adults
or kids (aged 9 and 5). Local people dress in clothes of the
period to run shops, businesses and a school. They are full of historic knowledge and fond of a chat. You can pan for gold (we all got a few specks) and take tours down old gold mines (an additional $10 a family for one of them, but worth it). There’s also an evening soun d and light show, 'Blood on the Southern Cross' which depicts the Eureka Rebellion.
Sovereign Hill is a place where you absorb history rather than have it taught. And what did I absorb? That the coach from Ballarat to Melbourne in those days included an overnight stop at Bacchus Marsh and cost a blacksmith a week’s wages. The trip now takes a bit over an hour and a few dollars for petrol. I also learnt that Victorian chamber pots were covered with a coloured cloth, usually red. Why? So they could be easily separated from the white table napkins when they went to the laundry. But I’m still trying to work out what a notice-board sign from 1856 means: ‘James Dakin notices the public again trusting his wife’. Curious. The old Sovereign Hill Schoolhouse is worth dropping in for a lesson.
The Eureka Stockade Centre details the history of the uprising with multi-media and interactive displays.
Victoria's spa country is less than an hour from Ballarat. The adjacent towns of Hepburn Springs and Daylesford have been famous for their spas for more than 100 years, and the area is thick with eucalypt forests, fern gullies and pretty farming country.
Daylesford is charming, trendy, arty, lovely and ‘foody’ with serious
coffee, homemade ice cream and relaxation with attitude. The first
settlement was in the 1850s and 1860s by Swiss-Italians, and today
there are plenty of restaurants, boutique shops, and cottage and
country-house accommodation.
Mineral springs were first discovered in 1836 and there are now about
70 in the region, stretching as far as Kyneton. All have a different
taste and you can take your own glass and help yourself. At the
Hepburn Spa Resort, you can enjoy a scented spa bath.
Hanging Rock, near Mount Macedon, was made famous by
the film Picnic at Hanging Rock, based on the haunting story
of the mysterious disappearance of a group of schoolgirls
from a picnic around the rock in 1900. Walking tracks lead
to its summit for superb views.
A short, pleasant drive north takes you to
Castlemaine, Maldon and Bendigo. As well
as being the ‘birthplace’ of The Wild Colonial Boy’, Castlemaine is typical
of an old goldmining town and is home to a creative community of painters,
potters and other craftspeople.
For visitor information, head to the original market building (1862) with its classical Roman façade.
A 10 – 15 minute drive will take you to Maldon, the first town in
Australia to be declared A Notable Town by the National Trust.
Like Ballarat, Bendigo is a ‘gold’ city with the architecture reflecting the
prosperity of the times.
On the northern outskirts, the restored Chinese Joss House recalls the
presence of the Chinese on the goldfields.。