$180,000 Worth of Gold!

Why did I title this post “$180,000 Worth of Gold”? Well, this is the story:

I am now in Ballarat, Victoria. Gold was found pretty early on in Australia. As you could imagine, it set off a whole chain of events…some people earning their fortunes, others losing everything...and a lot of shenanigans happening in between. This is all depicted in a reenactment village called Sovereign Hill, on the edge of Ballarat. Businesses, houses, tents, shacks and people dressed in period costumes fill a hillside. A covered wagon with a team of horses carries tourists on a sightseeing tour. A young woman pulls two donkeys down the street. Demonstrations and reenactments happen throughout the day.

Sovereign Hill looked like an Old West town. Many materials, goods and building techniques came from the same or similar sources.

A typical miner's cottage during the early years.

Australian school children on a school outing. Note all have sun hats.

That brings us to the gold pouring demonstration. Our group was the first one into the bleachers, so we sat center front. We had the best view of the furnace, with was shooting flames around a crucible of “gold.” My assumption was that what was really a gold-colored metal being melted. The venue quickly filled with squirming school children.

The glowing crucible. 

The man delivered his patter about gold and its importance to the region while we heard the furnace blasting the “gold.” Soon, it was time to pour the “gold” into a rectangular mold. The children behind us gasped, and then “ooh-ed” and “ah-ed.”  The seasoned narrator had us in the palm of his hand. He plunked the “gold” bar into a wooden tank filled with water. Steam shot to the ceiling. More gasps! The man guaranteed that the bar that had been molten mere minutes before could now be held. In fact, he’d let an audience member hold it.

The narrator perused the audience…AND THEN POINTED DIRECTLY TO ME!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. ME! I lept up and went over to pick up the gold. I pretended to slip the bar into my pocket. Apparently, each and every chosen audience member does exactly the same thing as the man was at the ready…with a very loooonnnnng pistol! The audience laughed as my brain said, “Turn around, stupid, and get your picture taken!” 

(Picture is in someone else's camera at the moment.)

The bar of gold after it was returned to its safe place.

After I sat down, I found out the bar of “gold” was real…$180,000 worth!

Let me back up a little. Sara, Faye, and I were greeted at the Melbourne airport by Faye’s friend (who whisked her off), Sara’s sister, Ellen Stoddart, and Cara (from the Illinois Association of Home and Community Education, IAHCE), the organization doing the exchange with CWA of WA. We were soon on our way to Ballarat, about an hour away from Melbourne. We are staying at an 1800s mansion that was later turned into a religious boy’s school. It has now been converted into apartments and hotel rooms. On the grounds is a swimming pool, spa building and a lake. It is a serene place filled with flowers and trees, with an occasional bird swooping overhead and landing in the winding pathways.

The interiors of the buildings are stunning. Some of the converted outbuildings must have been stables or bakeries. Our hallway is lined with Arts and Crafts/Art Nouveau-style tiles. I cannot describe how utterly gorgeous they are. The stairs case bannisters are carved wood with a cross on each step, a nod to the building’s religious past. Stained glass windows are above most doorways. The resort had special fabric woven to echo the tile designs. Pillows and other decorations are made out of the fabric. The whole estate is a study in pleasantness and peacefulness.

As of this writing, we are ending a three-night stay in this magnificent place. I think it is the Ramada Resort. 

The city of Ballarat and its suburbs have about 100,000 inhabitants, but it thoroughly retains its small-town feel. Small miner’s cottages from the 1800s line the streets. Each has a corrugated metal roof. Some have curved metal veranda roofs. Most have filigree metal work on the veranda. Homes from other eras are mixed in with the miner’s cottages. They look familiar (is that a Sears and Roebuck house?), but have Aussie details such as a tile or metal roof.

Typical iron work.