Are you up for an adventure?
Then this is your chance to join one of Sovereign Hill’s amazing underground mine tours.
For a fully-guided tour, visit the Gold Mine and board the mine tram to journey deep below Sovereign Hill for a unique underground experience! There are three to choose from.
The new Secret Chamber is our latest innovation! State-of-the-art technology follows the adventures of two Chinese diggers as they search for gold in a strange and hostile land!
For Deaf and hearing impaired visitors, The Secret Chamber is available as an OpenAccess Tour using Auslan translation and captions. Simply download the app from the App Store or Google Playstore onto your smartphone before your visit, or when you arrive. Click here for more information
Trapped recounts the tragic story of the 1882 Creswick Mine disaster and the heroic attempts to save 27 miners trapped by an underground flood.
Journey through the Labyrinth of Gold takes you step by step through the dangers of working in one of the gold mines that made Ballarat rich and famous.
Fully-guided mine tours
$7.50 Adult, $4.00 Child (5-15), $20.00 Family (2 Adults & up to 4 Children).
Bookings are essential and must be made at the Mine once you’ve entered Sovereign Hill. We advise you to book early on the day of your visit as places are limited.
Self-guided mine tour
The Red Hill Mine Tour is a free, self-guided underground experience.
Red Hill Mine
Visit the Red Hill Mine on the diggings to discover the dark and dangerous world of deep lead mining and witness the discovery of the famous ‘Welcome’ Nugget. Weighing around 69 kilograms, it remains the second largest gold nugget ever found!
The Red Hill Mine
In Ballarat, the deep lead mines were cramped and deadly. Miners called 'mudlarks' dug down into layers of wet clay, sand and gravel as they searched ancient riverbeds for the loose gold hidden there. Venture underground to witness the discovery of the fabulous 'Welcome' nugget. Found in 1858, by a party of 22 brave young Cornishmen, this 69-kilogram prize was worth a fortune!
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Journey through the Labyrinth of Gold
Learn about the everyday dangers of 19th century gold mining. See how Ballarat's miners lived and worked as they blasted and dug out the rich gold-bearing layers of quartz rock. This tour includes demonstrations of the technology they used and the chance to view areas of original workings. It concludes with a ride to the surface on the mine train.
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The Secret Chamber
Set in a mysterious underground cavern deep inside the mine, this is a ghostly tale of two young Chinese miners sent to Ballarat by their father in search of riches. After many adventures and mishaps, Chin Tem and his brother did find good fortune, but it was not what they expected it to be!
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Trapped
The New Australasian No. 2 Mine disaster at Creswick remains one of Australia's worst underground mining disasters. When the mine flooded, 27 men were trapped underground. This is the moving story of the heroic three-day battle to save them. In the end, only five men came out alive.
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