Historical information

The town you see had over 50,000 people. Bridge Street on the left is well established. The crude pans and cradles of the early “diggers’ were already giving way to steam power and the deep shafts of the “miners”. Money and machinery were needed to get to the deeper leads, and the smoke stacks of the great company mines can be seen across the photo.

Physical description

Four black and white photographs placed together to make a panorama of Ballarat looking towards Mt Warrenheip. On the left the chimney and gasometer indicate the corner of Dana Street and Albert Street. This is now the Ballarat Law Courts. The photograph is behind glass in a black frame.

These four photographs were taken from the slope of the Ballarat School of Mines where the Uniting Church now stands. When joined they give a panoramic view of one of the world’s richest alluvial goldfields. The Waterloo Mine was one of the first deep shafts and was sunk at the foot of the Dana Street hill. Its tailings are seen in the second photo from left.

Inscriptions & markings

The following was typed and placed with the framed image.

Ballarat Circa 1858
This is the most significant of the photographs of early Ballarat. The photographer stood on the slope near S.M.B. where the Wesley Church now stands and took four pictures.
When joined them have this panoramic view of one of the world's richest alluvial goldfields.
Seven years earlier this landscape was empty. The town you see had over 50,000 people. Bridge Street on the left is well established the Ballarat gas Company stands on the same place as today.
The crude pans and cradles of the early "diggers" were already giving way to steam power and the deep shafts of the :"miners". Money and machinery were needed to get to the deeper leads, and the smoke stacks of the great company mines can be seen across the photo.
The Waterloo mines was one of the first deep shafts and was sunk at the foot of the Dana Street hill. Its tailings are seen in the second photo from the left.