Ballarat

Location

North west of Melbourne

Importance of Ballarat

With Bendigo and Beechworth, Balarat was one of the great gold towns from the early days of white settlement in Victoria

What was Ballarat like in the late 1870s

Photograph

Map The easy to get alluvial gold had run out but Ballarat had many deep gold mines. The town had grown into one of the great towns of Australia

Beechworth and Ballarat compared (Argus22/1/76)

Facilities in Ararat in the late 1870s

Population Hotels Churches Schools Bank Main Streets Local Government Police Station Railway Station Telegraph Office

Post Office Other things of interest

Links to the KellyGang

Nicolson was based on the gold fields at Ballarat in the mid 1850s

Part of a report included as part of Nicolson's evidence '"After the Ballarat riots, the Government, considering it advisable to replace the officials there by strangers for the police force, the late Arthur Kirke was selected as inspector in charge of that district, and I as sub inspector. Great disorder then prevailed at Ballarat, the criminal and convict classes having been drawn there in great numbers. The Chief Commissioner of Police, Captain MacMahon, replaced, as quickly as possible, the most of the foot police there with a superior class of men, principally from the Irish Constabulary, and in a short time the police gained the confidence of the public at Ballarat by earnest and energetic efforts to protect life and property and to suppress crime."...' (RC17129)

See also gold

The Ballarat Star raised a petion against David Gaunson following his support for Ned Kelly. see text (Argus16/11/80)

Thomas Curnow taught at Ballarat after stopping the train at Glenrowan (RC17591)