Let us continue with our third day in Australia. Where are we headed today? You knew from the title.
It would be another long car ride, but still shorter than the Great Ocean Road on Day 2.
You may be thinking that Sovereign Hill is just a place; what makes it special? We were going to the Sovereign Hill Gold Mine Tour, which a few people had recommended to me, but Sf suggested it, and it would be a great place to visit.
So, every morning, I would go for a nice swim.
And I tried to think about my ChatGPT experience so far and manage my own thoughts.
Let's go!
Even though it is only an hour and a half, it is considered a long ride, but the locals are accustomed to it.
Travelling there, it appears to be in the countryside.
We had arrived in the town, and it appeared to be peaceful.
Welcome to Ballarat Sovereign Hill.
(Credit Sf) I had not thought of a pose for this yet; it was just an awkward one.
We entered the souvenir shop to get our entry ticket.
A map of Sovereign Hill.
What amazed me was that this place still had the rusty mining-town appearance.
Ooo, visitors have gathered here; what happened?
Before we explored this location, we were instructed to gather around the Gold Commissioner and listen to what he had to say.
The gold commissioner was explaining to us how important his role is in this gold mine. Here he is the king, the government, and he will inspect everyone in the gold mine for a mining licence and punish them publicly to warn others.
There are many wells here, which differ from Asia.
One thing I noticed and felt was their effort: they dressed up like people from the past, bringing history to life.
Like these two people, they became completely immersed in the character, and I thought we were on a movie set.
If I do not provide any content in the beginning and instead show you a photo of this...
I applied a filter and mentioned that I obtained an old photograph of my grandaunt working in a gold mine. Convince?
But she is pretty :3
(Credit Sf) My dream girl, and I love seeing her smile.
I appreciate how much effort they put in; typically, themed parks will only build an exterior structure and nothing inside; however, Gold Mine Tour puts effort into the interior.
The two 'casts' remained focused on preparing the chopped logs to burn, just like in real life.
The condition of the log indicates that this location was once a gold mine.
To be honest, they are well-preserved.
Ooo, this one is a Chinese tent, which explains that the Chinese actually came for gold mining in the past.
(Credit Sf) I wondered if my forefathers came here to get rich. Nah, I highly doubt it.
Even if they were involved, they would likely be merchants of everyday goods to the miner.
It's just so raw and beautiful in its own way.
The water in this location is not intended for drinking, and I have doubts that anyone would consume it.
Walking here feels like urban exploration when no one is around, but I doubt it would be well-maintained enough for me to explore if abandoned.
Anyway, let us go see if we can find any gold sand from here!
Just look at how serious the staff were, fully immersed in their roles.
(Credit Sf) In comparison to this beginner, I was just posing for fun. I doubt we will get anything out of this exercise because the sand is too coarse, and there is no more mining. This place was for entertainment.
It was amazing how they constructed this with logs and nails. What an outstanding piece of work.
Ooo, there is an underground passage! Visitors can visit in groups and at specific times; we were able to arrive in time for the tunnel visit.
It was great to have the opportunity to see actual mining tunnels. I have no idea how it will look, other than what I have seen in photos and cartoons.
I looked down at these stairs. What a sight straight out of a horror movie!
I wanted to snap more pictures here, but...
I needed to catch up with the group ahead of me.
(Credit Sf) Thank goodness for Sf to assist me in capturing photos in low-light conditions; it was truly thrilling! Hahaha
Observing the light here, I question whether it resembles how the light would have appeared in the past.
In the past, the number of lights illuminating the tunnel was regarded as an exceptional fortune for them to possess, and the path was smoothed for us to walk along; however, previously, it would have been rough.
I arrived late to the projection of the past, yet I managed to capture an image of it before its conclusion.
We arrived at a location where they showcased a model of the largest gold cluster ever collected in history before securing it once more in their vault.
Returning to the surface, light illuminating the upper world serves as a blessing for the workers who toiled under dim conditions within the tunnel.
(Credit Sf) I am aligned with the light side and cannot remain in darkness for an extended period.
(Credit Sf) The wooden structure architecture is fascinating. I wonder how they manage to obtain such long pieces of wood for construction
We were expected to wait for the entry of another group into this workshop on the process of extracting gold from its raw state.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to hear the staff explain how they extract gold from another workshop.
He showed us the remnants on top of the dinner plate, which are gold in their raw state.
He will then process those remnants with mercury, a substance known to be poisonous to those who handled it in the past, to extract the gold.
I watched a video on YouTube to learn about mining, and the explanation was excellent. Consider watching it if you are interested.
In the past, when there were no vehicles for transportation, horses were considered highly valuable.
(Credit Sf) Another impressive structure was designed to extract soil material from the tunnel.
This tower has borne witness to the people and transformations of this town throughout its history.
(Credit Sf) From the summit of the tower, we are able to observe the town of Ballarat.
In Singapore, you will predominantly see high-rise buildings that disrupt the seamless connection between the sky and the land.
Let us proceed to explore other areas of the hill.
The gold mine will usually establish a town rather than be situated away from it.
What a charming little church this is. So serene.
Let us explore the shophouses in this area.
I did not take photographs of every single shophouse, as it would be impractical to document everything. I only captured images of those that caught my attention.
Ah, this was the location where one could ride horses to navigate around the town.
(Credit Sf) We encountered a staff member but regrettably forgot to enquire about his role. One thing, however, is certain—he is the complete opposite of me: he is white, tall, slim, and good-looking, compared to me: short, fat and unattractive with an Asian appearance. Oh well.
I visited a clothing shop that sells vintage items, and I absolutely loved it, especially this hat I had never worn or even seen before. I didn’t realise how good I looked in it. Unfortunately, it’s made of leather, so I can’t buy it. Besides, I doubt I could wear it in Singapore without attracting strange stares from the locals... unless I looked really handsome.
Ooo! They had not overlooked the entertainment aspect here.
However, this theatre was considered excessively grand in its earlier days. But a very entertaining and funny magic show.
If I had the money, I'd love to set up a store in Singapore with a similar theme, selling candy and dressing up like people from the past.
The bakery instantly sparked our hunger, but what truly caught my eye were the ladies outside—it felt like watching history come to life.
In the end, I picked up something for myself in Australia—a gold tree pendant. I used to wear a similar one in the past, a metal tree design pendant that I’ve since misplaced, and it seems my taste hasn’t changed much.
Alright, let's go somewhere else, Sf.
Visiting a gold mine in Australia was an enjoyable and memorable experience, and it was wonderful that we had the opportunity to explore such a place. I observed that the location is not overcrowded with tourists and is frequented by many locals as well. If you have the time, I highly recommend taking a tour of Sovereign Hill Gold Mine.
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