Out and About!

Striking Gold at Sovereign Hill

On Friday, the 5th of June, Grade 5/6 from Holy Cross Primary School had an excursion to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. We visited because we have been learning about the Gold Rush in Inquiry and Literacy. 

We experienced the education session, “Put yourself in the Eureka Story”, which was really fun because we could dress up in clothes that the miners and the troopers used in the 1850s. We acted out the key events leading up to and after the Eureka Stockade of 1854. We had a mine tour underground, and there were speakers and lights guiding us - it got a bit scary at times but we enjoyed watching diggers find the Welcome Nugget at last!. We all loved the gold panning and lolly making, where we saw Sovereign Hill’s famous raspberry drops being made. We also watched a gold pour, which was when a smelter heated up gold in very high heat until it was liquid, and then poured it into a mould. We couldn’t believe the gold was worth over $600,000! We also really liked exploring the old-time shops and bowling. The bowling alleys were old and long, and the pins were very heavy. 

We think most people’s highlight was finding flakes of gold during the gold panning. We learnt more about the Eureka Stockade, especially after the ‘Put Yourself in the Eureka Story’ workshop and loved seeing the horses and carts and people dressed as though they were living during the Gold Rush. 

We thank all the teachers and parent helpers for their support on this excursion that everyone enjoyed!

George Fairmaid and Paige Gaunt 5/6F