Brian was helpful and pleasant. He made himself available to help students and staff. Organisation and itinerary were great. We never felt rushed and children got a decent look at all things. It was a great excursion thank you.
The discovery of gold in Australia is a pivotal point in our nation’s history. It marked the beginning of the transformation of Australia from being a penal colony to a multicultural, democratic nation.
There are several re-created ‘gold towns’ that bring this era of our history to life for your students with their brilliant teaching programs, hands-on activities and teacher resources.
In NSW, Bathurst, Hill End and Mogo offer fantastic venues and programs. Request a quote for one of these excursion destinations.
Our gold excursions are informal and loads of fun and we recommend that everyone bring old clothes for these excursions, so that the real life experiences can be enjoyed to the full! Your students will begin to understand the reality of the hardship of pioneer life on the gold fields as they explore historic gold towns, see a working stamper battery, climb through an underground gold mine, pan for gold like a real gold miner and loads more.
Because of the more remote locations and bush environments of most of the goldfields and gold-program providers, a gold excursion has more of a school camp atmosphere. Accommodation is usually in small bunk-houses with shared bathroom facilities. However, for those wanting a little more comfort, we can base your group at a motel in town and do day tours from there.
There are quite a few places & programs to choose from when planning a gold excursion. Several are west of the Blue Mountains around the Bathurst area. Your itinerary can include a combination of these ‘gold’ venues plus there are many other activities in the region to create a diverse itinerary for your students.
- Bathurst Goldfields: an excellent recreation of a gold digging, offering the convenience of accommodation and activities being on-site.
- Hill End Ranch: bunk style accommodation at the ranch, with guided tours of the surrounding Turon Goldfields and Hill End places of interest.
- History Hill: located just out of town at Hill End has tours of a fantastic re-created gold mine, one of the best museums showcasing our gold rush history, and a spectacular working stamper battery sure to impress your students!
On the South Coast of NSW is Old Mogo Town. A recreated gold village with on-site accommodation and 'gold' activities conducted by enthusiastic presenters. Again, other activities can be included en-route to create a diverse itinerary for your students.
Sovereign Hill in Victoria provides facilities and programs which are great for schools located in that region, or interstate visitors travelling via Melbourne. Sovereign Hill accommodation and programs need to be booked 2 years in advance.
Sovereign Hill brings history to life through working exhibits and businesses activated by staff and volunteers wearing accurate period costumes.
Entry to Sovereign Hill includes access to the Voyage to Discovery Orientation Centre, a diggings area, a Chinese village, a typical goldfields main street, a residential area with activated cottages, working steam installations, a gold smelting works, a nineteenth century wheelwright’s factory, an underground mine experience and the Gold Museum (located across the road from Sovereign Hill).
In addition to this, you can choose from a wide range of student programmes, a fantastic sound and light show, and of course no visit to Sovereign Hill would be complete without a visit to the Eureka Stockade Centre.
Entry to the Eureka centre includes a self-guided tour of the exhibition spaces and a session with an Education Officer (choose from 10 topics). You can also book to use the classroom space and request the Eureka post-visit kit. Other activities available at the Eureka Centre for extra cost include a student re-enactment of the trials of the Eureka prisoners or a student-acted play telling all or part of the Eureka story.