Sovereign Hill

On the way to the Grampians last weekend, we stopped in a town called Ballarat to see their main tourist attraction: Sovereign Hill. Sovereign Hill is an "open air museum" (says Wikipedia; pretty accurate, I suppose) of a rebuilt gold mining town from the 1850's. It is probably similar to Columbia in California (we did our gold rushes at the same time, isn't that weird?), though I don't remember a thing about that place*.

We pulled up to the entrance, the parking monitor already diverting us to an overflow area since Easter weekend is apparently a madhouse at any place accepting customers. The Lonely Planet guidebook told us that it costs $30 each to get into this place. We were wary of wasting money - this place could be real crap. Approaching the entrance, we found that, our guidebook being pleasantly out of date, the price was $37.50 each. We decided to eat the $75 and do it. It's not like we're likely to ever be in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia again.

The place was excellent. I still maintain that the admission was overpriced, but I tend to do that. First of all, the place was huge. I though it would maybe be a couple of buildings and a creek for panning for gold and that's it. It was instead a huge area (60 acres, apparently) with one main dirt road lined with probably two dozen old wood buildings. The storefronts apparently were made to exactly match the stores that used to be on the main drag of the town. Despite my inherent cynicism, it really was like being transported back to the 1850's - the only catch being the throngs of unruly children who were apparently transported back with me.

Yes, it's a big family place. But I didn't even mind, that's how good it was. Each little rickety shop** was staffed by period-dressed people and all of the items for sale were either made on site or, at the very least, not the run-of-the-mill plastic crap you see everywhere else. They were different. I think that's what intrigued me so much. It doesn't seem to matter where you are in this modern world of ours, there are Tic Tacs, Pringles, magnets, sunglasses, etc. for sale at any store, market, or depot you come across. The boring side-affect of modern production/transportation/globalization and the like. But this place must have been what it was like in the olden days. Actual unique stuff. I was amazed.

Items were being created in many of the shops right before our eyes. There were men with greasy hands doing whatever it is you do to make pans, bells, and other trinkets out of tin and brass and other materials we don't use much anymore. It was incredible. The machines were powered by steam engines that rotate pulleys that push giant leather belts that somehow make things go. There were belts strung all through some of these places to power machines all over the place. The belts were above us, whirling away, doing their part to help us make these precious items. I think I was just as amazed as someone who was actually going through the industrial revolution. More pictures here.

For some reason, I have this idea in my mind that because something is obsolete is doesn't work any more. This is not true. Obsolete ideas and machines and techniques work just fine. They're just slower and more difficult than something we've figured out since. Maybe it's just because I'm an engineer dork, but witnessing some of these old-fashioned processes at work was truly enthralling. As ridiculous and slow and mean as humans can be, we sure are amazing creatures.

*Our parents had a tendency to take us to exciting places when we were too young to retain any permanent memory of them. I don't blame them, for one thing, how were they supposed to know? And for another, you have to do something with your children, right? I'm sure we had a great time in Columbia. And I hope to go back someday to jog my memory. Or just make some new ones.

**On an engineering note, the buildings in Sovereign Hill were rickety. To the point where I was curious how they managed to get them built because they were clearly not up to snuff with any code anywhere, ever. Mexico has safer buildings, I'm certain. Obviously they're fine, they've been standing for almost 40 years, but some of the precariously placed pulleys and wood to wood connections could certainly use some engineering finesse.