The discovery of gold near Ballarat in 1851 caused the Victorian gold rush and changed Australia forever. Prior to that, Australia was little more than an outpost for the British Empire, but the dream of striking it rich enticed hundreds of thousands of people from around the word to travel to Melbourne. Fortunes were found, but hardships were common. By 1853 another gold rush began with reef mining when deep leads were discovered. Victoria became one of the largest producers of gold in the world.

"Australia’s Victorian Goldfields is an exceptional cultural landscape. It comprises a series of landscapes, rural and urban, that exemplify the gold rush phenomenon in all its technological, social and environmental character and consequences. Moreover, it represents one of the most significant and sensational gold rushes the world has ever witnessed."...See my blog.