Gold Prospecting & Detecting
The Central Goldfields has been famous for its alluvial gold for over 150 years. Of the 40 nuggets weighing over 18 kilograms that have been recorded in Australia, 32 of them have been discovered in C...
Read MoreWhen gold was discovered in regional Victoria in the 1850s, it wasn’t long before word got out, and the result was the gold rush that built the Central Goldfields.
The large regional cities of Bendigo and Ballarat are well known for the beautiful architecture the gold rush afforded them. The smaller towns within the Central Goldfields like Maryborough inherited buildings from this rich and prosperous time, many now housing museums, galleries and great cafés. Known as the Golden Triangle, the area from Ballarat, across to Bendigo and up to Wedderburn, was quite literally rich with gold. World famous for the purity, quantity and size of the nuggets found in the area, eager miners and prospectors flocked to the region in search of their fortune.
Much of the gold uncovered in the Golden Triangle is alluvial – from the bed of a river or a stream, as opposed to digging it from rock ‘reefs’. The world’s largest alluvial gold nugget, the Welcome Stranger, was uncovered in 1869 in Moliagul and the Moliagul Historical Reserve is located at the site today. Moliagul, like other towns in the area, continues to have modern day diggers seeking their fortune, and tours via Coiltek Gold Centre and Golden Nugget Tours can point you in the right direction. However, as yet no one has uncovered a nugget quite the 69kg size of the Welcome Stranger!
The Goldfields Museum in Dunolly has a fantastic replica collection of locally found gold nuggets, including the Welcome Stranger, as well as historical records from this fascinating era.
Battery Dam Historical Site
When you’re wandering through the natural beauty of the Craigie Forest, it’s hard to imagine that the now peaceful surrounds were once a noisy, steamy hub of late 1800s gold mining technology.
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Moliagul Historic Reserve
2km southwest of the town of Moliagul is a granite obelisk erected in 1897 to mark the discovery site of the Welcome Stranger. Found in 1869, the 69kg gold nugget is the largest alluvial, or reef, nug...
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Welcome Stranger Monument
The first recorded discovery of gold in Moliagul was in September 1852 and, before long, the area was flooded with over 4,000 miners. Two of those miners, John Deason and Richard Oates, had arrived i...
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Maryborough Railway Station
The Maryborough Railway Station opened in 1874 and quickly established its importance as a major junction within country Victoria. The current building was built in 1890 – a grand red brick building f...
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Self-Guided Tours
Maryborough and Surrounds is the perfect place to play explorer. Whether you’re seeking adventure or beauty in the stunning landscape; or history and heritage in the gold rush era villages; it’s not d...
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Guided Tours Of Central Goldfields
For a truly immersive experience, take a tour and enjoy a professional’s perspective on the Central Goldfields region. Regardless of your age or interest, there is more to be uncovered than you may ha...
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Museum of Australian History and Art Gallery
Displays and artwork are carefully put together to give a great viewing experience that draws in the viewer.
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Talbot Arts and Communications Museum
The Talbot Museum houses the Edwards collection of photographs, documents and letters, plus trade and lifestyle material from an early settler, watchmaker and jeweller, JB Edwards and his descendants.
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