# Goldfields (Victoria)

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{{Short description|Region of Victoria, Australia}}
{{for|historical information|Victorian gold rush}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{use Australian English|date=July 2019}}
right|thumb|Nerrena fossickers in Nerrena Creek outside Ballarat

The '''Goldfields region of Victoria''' is a [region](/source/region) associated with the [Victorian gold rush](/source/Victorian_gold_rush) in Australia. The term is used in both [historical geography](/source/historical_geography) and [tourism geography](/source/tourism_geography) (in particular [heritage tourism](/source/heritage_tourism)).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goldfields.org.au/ |title=Goldfields of Victoria |publisher=Goldfields Tourism Incorporated |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317041650/http://www.goldfields.org.au/ |archive-date=March 17, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The region is also known as the Victorian '''Golden Triangle'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/blog/94/where-to-look-for-gold-in-victorias-golden-triangle |title=Places to Find Gold in Victoria's Golden Triangle |date=23 June 2020 |publisher=Goldfields Guide .com.au |access-date=26 February 2026 |archive-date=22 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250322003937/https://www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/blog/94/where-to-look-for-gold-in-victorias-golden-triangle |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Description== 
thumb|Aerial panorama of Blue Waters lake in Creswick

It takes in a specific area of [North Central Victoria](/source/North_Central_Victoria), the major cities of [Ballarat](/source/Ballarat) and [Bendigo](/source/Bendigo) as well as smaller centres including [Daylesford](/source/Daylesford%2C_Victoria), [Castlemaine](/source/Castlemaine%2C_Victoria) and [Maryborough](/source/Maryborough%2C_Victoria). It extends as far north as [Inglewood](/source/Inglewood%2C_Victoria) and [St Arnaud](/source/St_Arnaud%2C_Victoria). It encroaches on the [Western District](/source/Western_District_(Victoria)) near [Ararat](/source/Ararat%2C_Victoria). Other significant towns include [Maldon](/source/Maldon%2C_Victoria), [Creswick](/source/Creswick), [Clunes](/source/Clunes%2C_Victoria), [Avoca](/source/Avoca%2C_Victoria) and [Buninyong](/source/Buninyong).

Although the region has a strong association with the [Victorian gold rush](/source/Victorian_gold_rush) there are, however, significant towns associated with the gold rush and gold mining located outside of this region — notable examples include [Warburton](/source/Warburton%2C_Victoria), [Walhalla](/source/Walhalla%2C_Victoria), [Warrandyte](/source/Warrandyte%2C_Victoria), [Chiltern](/source/Chiltern%2C_Victoria) and [Beechworth](/source/Beechworth%2C_Victoria). The goldfields region is more strongly linked to the impact of the [Victorian gold rush](/source/Victorian_gold_rush) than the discovery of [gold](/source/gold) in Victoria.

As a result of the gold rush, the region contains many old buildings, including celebrated examples of [Victorian architecture](/source/Victorian_architecture), some of which are heritage listed, while others have fallen into disrepair and become derelict. Many of the towns were far larger during the Gold Rush than they are now, and there are some examples of [ghost town](/source/ghost_town)s in the region. Major tourism icons include [Sovereign Hill](/source/Sovereign_Hill), [Eureka Stockade](/source/Eureka_Stockade) site and the [Bendigo Talking Tram](/source/Bendigo_Talking_Tram). The region is also associated with the [origins](/source/origins_of_Australian_rules_football) of [Australian rules football](/source/Australian_rules_football); [Tom Wills](/source/Tom_Wills), one of the game's founders, grew up outside present-day [Moyston](/source/Moyston), the self-proclaimed "Birthplace of Australian Football". Some of the earliest clubs were also established in the region.
thumb|Aerial perspective of St Georges Lake in Creswick. Shot in September 2018.

Demographically, the population of the region was approximately 244,900 in 2006.<ref>Victorian Population Bulletin 2006, Dept. of Sustainability & Environment</ref> The region has a well-defined road tourist route. The area retains a significant [gold mining](/source/gold_mining) industry and remains a popular for [fossicking](/source/fossicking).

The Goldfields region is also associated as a [viticulture](/source/viticulture) region with a large number of established [vineyard](/source/vineyard)s and popular [wineries](/source/winery). An important ecosystem associated with the region is the [Box–ironbark forest](/source/Box%E2%80%93ironbark_forest), now much fragmented and cleared but still important for the conservation of many birds and other animals.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Ballarat lydiard sturt.jpg|Corner Sturt and Lydiard Streets, Ballarat
File:Bendigo talking tram.jpg|Pall Mall, Bendigo, with Talking Tram
File:Sovereign Hill - Main St S from Golden Point Rd 2.jpg|Sovereign Hill open-air museum, a large tourist attraction in Ballarat
File:MaldonStreetscape.JPG|Maldon's famous historic streetscapes
File:Sluicing-the-lerderderg.jpg|Sluicing in the [Lerderderg Gorge](/source/Lerderderg_Gorge), between Blackwood and Bacchus Marsh
File:Bendigo diggings gold mine c 1857.png|[Bendigo](/source/Bendigo) diggings gold mine in c.1857 - Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
File:Group of diggers.jpg|[Richard Daintree](/source/Richard_Daintree) and [Antoine Fauchery](/source/Antoine_Fauchery) (circa 1858) A gang of diggers at Forrest Creek, [Chewton](/source/Chewton%2C_Victoria)
File:Old Post Office Hill, Forest Creek.jpg|Richard Daintree, Castlemaine gold diggings on 15 January 1858, [Forrest Creek](/source/Chewton%2C_Victoria)
File:FL15629727.jpg|Daintree, Richard, (1858) Great Eastern Tunnel, 1500 feet long, [Jim Crow diggings](/source/Jim_Crow_goldfield), [Daylesford](/source/Daylesford%2C_Victoria)
File:Chinese Encampment Guildford.jpg|Richard Daintree (c.1858) ''Chinese gold mining encampment at [Guildford](/source/Guildford%2C_Victoria)''
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [Jim Crow goldfield](/source/Jim_Crow_goldfield)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/, Goldfields Guide]{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}
* [https://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Goldfields.aspx Goldfields, Victoria] at [Visit Victoria](/source/Visit_Victoria)

{{Authority control}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldfields Region of Victoria}}
Category:Regions of Victoria (state)
Category:Geography of Victoria (state)
Category:Grampians (region)
Category:Gold mining in Victoria (state)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Goldfields (Victoria)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfields_(Victoria)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfields_(Victoria)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.