The Goldfields region of Victoria is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

commonly used but typically defined in both

historical geography Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. In its modern form, it is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with histor ...

and tourism geography (in particular

heritage tourism Heritage tourism is a branch of tourism centered around the exploration and appreciation of a region's cultural, historical and environmental heritage. This form of tourism includes both tangible elements, such as historically significant sites, ...

). The region is also known as the Victorian Golden Triangle.

Description

Aerial panorama of Blue Waters lake in Creswick

It takes in a specific area of North Central Victoria, the major cities of

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

and

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

as well as smaller centres including Daylesford, Castlemaine and Maryborough. It extends as far north as Inglewood and St Arnaud. It encroaches on the Western District near Ararat. Other significant towns include

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is prod ...

Creswick Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia, 18 kilometres north of Ballarat, Victoria, Ballarat and 122 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, in the Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the ...

, Clunes, Avoca and

Buninyong Buninyong is a town 11 km from Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Midland Highway, south of Ballarat on the road to Geelong. Buninyong was proclaimed a town on 27 June 1851 on the same day as Winchelsea, Portarlington, ...

. Although the region has a strong association with the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

there are, however, significant towns associated with the gold rush and gold mining located outside of this region - notable examples include Warburton, Walhalla,

Warrandyte Warrandyte ( ) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham Local government areas of Victoria, ...

, Chiltern and Beechworth. The goldfields region is more strongly linked to the impact of the

Victorian Gold Rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

than the discovery of gold in Victoria. As a result of the gold rush, the region contains many old buildings, including celebrated examples of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...

, some of which are heritage listed, while others have fallen into disrepair and become derelict. Many of the towns were far larger during the Gold Rush than they are now, and there are some examples of

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

s in the region. Major tourism icons include

Sovereign Hill Sovereign Hill is an open-air museum in Golden Point, a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Sovereign Hill depicts Ballarat's first ten years after the discovery of gold there in 1851 and has become a nationally acclaimed tourist attrac ...

Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia, during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, wh ...

site and the Bendigo Talking Tram. The region is also associated with the

origins Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * ''The Origin'' (Buffy comic), a 1999 ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

;

Tom Wills Thomas Wentworth Wills (19 August 1835 – 2 May 1880) was an Australian sportsman who is credited with being Australia's first cricketer of significance and a founder of Australian rules football. Born in the British penal colony of Colo ...

, one of the game's founders, grew up outside present-day Moyston, the self-proclaimed "Birthplace of Australian Football". Some of the earliest clubs were also established in the region. Aerial perspective of St Georges Lake in Creswick

Aerial perspective of St Georges Lake in Creswick

Demographically, the population of the region was approximately 244,900 in 2006.Victorian Population Bulletin 2006, Dept. of Sustainability & Environment The region has a well-defined

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

tourist route. The area retains a significant

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

industry and remains a popular for fossicking. The Goldfields region is also associated as a wine growing region with a large number of established

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s and popular

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

. An important ecosystem associated with the region is the Box-Ironbark forest, now much fragmented and cleared but still important for the conservation of many birds and other animals.

Gallery

File:Ballarat lydiard sturt.jpg, Corner Sturt and Lydiard Streets, Ballarat File:Bendigo talking tram.jpg, Pall Mall, Bendigo, with Talking Tram File:Sovereign Hill - Main St S from Golden Point Rd 2.jpg, Sovereign Hill open-air museum, a large tourist attraction in Ballarat File:MaldonStreetscape.JPG, Maldon's famous historic streetscapes File:Sluicing-the-lerderderg.jpg, Sluicing in the

Lerderderg Gorge The Lerderderg Gorge is in Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia and largely within the Lerderderg State Park. The Lerderderg River which emerges from the Great Dividing Range has cut a deep gorge as it winds toward the southern plains. It is ...

, between Blackwood and Bacchus Marsh File:Bendigo diggings gold mine c 1857.png,

diggings gold mine in c.1857 - Bendigo, Victoria, Australia File:Group of diggers.jpg, Richard Daintree and Antoine Fauchery (circa 1858) A gang of diggers at Forrest Creek, Chewton File:Old Post Office Hill, Forest Creek.jpg, Richard Daintree, Castlemaine gold diggings on 15 January 1858, Forrest Creek File:FL15629727.jpg, Daintree, Richard, (1858) Great Eastern Tunnel, 1500 feet long, Jim Crow diggings, Daylesford File:Chinese Encampment Guildford.jpg, Richard Daintree (c.1858) ''Chinese gold mining encampment at

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

References

External links

Goldfields Guide

Goldfields, Victoria
at Visit Victoria {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldfields Region Of Victoria Regions of Victoria (state) Geography of Victoria (state) Grampians (region) Gold mining in Victoria (state)

Description

See also

Gallery

References

External links