The Fortuna Villa is an expansive Victorian mansion built entirely on the profits of Bendigo's lucrative gold reefs. Established by the wealthy Ballerstedt family in the 1860s, it was purchased and expanded in the 1870s by George Lansell, who was to become one of Australia's wealthiest men. Fortuna villa and gardens were once occupied and cared for by the Australia Army Survey Regiments since 1942 for over thirty years.Classification Report and Notes on the history of Fortuna from the National Trust to the Bendigo Council 20th October 2008; tourist brochure for Fortuna; it includes photographs and detailed history of George Lansell's involvement in the property and his mining history.history, national trust bendigo collection, bendigo, fortuna, george lansell, mining

George Young arrived in Australia in 1856-7 and settled in Eaglehawk where he was the mining manger in a firm that extracted gold from tailings using cyanide. In 1917 it was recalled by the Eaglehawk manager of the Commercial Bank of Australia that he employed about 70 men in his firm. In 1884 he successfully applied through Sergent John Gleeson for Victorian naturalisation. His application was processed along with five others. According to an article in the Australasian he was 'highly respected' in Eaglehawk for his 'uprightness and integrity'. The Bendigo Advertiser described him as being 'held in high esteem' and being 'a kind and benevolent man'. He made donations to the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum and Hospital on a number of occasions and was involved in organising the Chinese performance in the Bendigo Easter Fair in 1879. In June 1900, after his elder brother's death in 1899, George Young returned to China at his father's request to manage the family property. His Chinese-born wife and six Australian-born children accompanied him. Prior to his departure a portrait of the Young family was published in the Australasian and given to prominent citizens of Eaglehawk. A banquet was also given by the citizens of Eaglehawk to see the family off and George Young was presented with an illuminated address.The Faces of China - Bendigo, a presentation author unknown, photo copy of Seo (George) Young and his family with two paragraphs description of Chinese mines and missionaries on the gold fields. Seo Young of Eaglehawk was a wealthy mine tailings manager believed to be the only known Chinese to have occupied a position of authority over both Caucasians and Chinese workers.Handwritten on the rear is "found in "Chinese Footsteps" Historical sites of Bendigo.history, bendigo, eaglehawk, chinese, chinese mine managers, chinese missionaries