Unearthing Gold Histories – Australian Heritage Festival (Victoria) 2025 Webinar Series

As part of the Australian Heritage Festival, we hosted a special 3-part online webinar series titled Unearthing Gold Histories. Presented in partnership with the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Bid, this series brought together leading researchers and heritage experts to explore the lesser-known stories, landscapes, and legacies of Victoria’s gold rush past.

Watch the recordings below and explore the rich and complex stories that shaped the Victorian Goldfields.

Webinar Session 1: Unearthing Hidden Histories on the Goldfields

Marking 175 years since gold discoveries in California and Australia stirred global excitement and a wave of migration, this session featured Sharni Brownbridge and Ben Mountford from Australian Catholic University reflecting on their latest research into hidden histories of the goldfields.

Sharni Brownbridge, a PhD Candidate at Australian Catholic University (Ballarat campus), focused her doctoral research on the community contributions of women in the Ballarat region between 1830 and 1860. Working in collaboration with Sovereign Hill’s museum and collections, she uncovered stories that had long been overlooked.

Ben Mountford, Director of the Centre for Regional Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (RHASS) and Associate Professor of History at ACU, shared insights from his work on the global impacts of the nineteenth-century gold rushes. He is the author of the award-winning book Britain, China and Colonial Australia (2016), co-editor of multiple volumes on global and imperial history, and former co-editor of History Australia (2022–24).

Webinar Session 2: Uncovering Lesser-Known Stories of Victorian Goldfields Towns – How Gold Created a Town

This session explored the transformation of Emu Hill, a pastoral run southwest of Ballarat, following the discovery of gold in May 1855. Once a quiet landscape occupied by Scottish pastoralists who had displaced the Wathawurrung people, the site quickly became Lintons’ Diggings – a bustling tent town of gold seekers – and eventually developed into the permanent settlement of Linton.

Jill Wheeler used the history of Linton to present a more nuanced narrative of the gold rush, including the roles of women, Chinese migrants, children, and the environmental impact. She also challenged the common ‘progress story’ that positions gold seeking as a purely individualist and democratic enterprise.

Jill Wheeler holds a PhD in History from the University of Melbourne. Her thesis became the publication Linton Makes History: An Australian Goldfields Town and Its Past (2015), which received a Commendation at the Victorian Community History Awards. As President of the Linton and District Historical Society since 2010, she has co-authored further works including Linton: A Photographic History (2017) and An Historic Walk-Drive Tour of Linton (2019). Her commitment to local heritage has been recognised with two Senior Citizen of the Year awards.

Webinar Session 3: Unearthing World Heritage – The Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Bid Journey So Far

This final session provided an in-depth look at the ongoing efforts to secure World Heritage status for the Victorian Goldfields. It highlighted the cultural and historical significance of the region, shaped by the gold rush and the enduring custodianship of Victoria’s First Peoples.

Presenters shared the collaborative work, milestones, and challenges of the bid, along with the long-term vision for protecting this globally significant landscape.

Speakers included Susan Fayad (World Heritage and Regional Development Lead, City of Ballarat), Trevor Budge (World Heritage – Strategic Projects Officer, City of Greater Bendigo), and Lana Epshteyn (World Heritage Engagement Officer, City of Ballarat).