Which are the best Australian gold rush towns for visitors?

The best Australian gold rush towns for visitors include Kalgoorlie, Ballarat, Bendigo, Beechworth, Walhalla and Central Tilba.

Detailed answer: There wasn’t just one Australian gold rush – there were several. But the gold dug up from the goldfields across the Australian colonies in the 19^th century brought riches Down Under. The Australian gold rush played a major part in Australia’s transition from convict settlement to rich, first world country.

Gold mine tours in Australia

Gold is still mined in Australia, and the best place to see the modern operations is the Superpit in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Tours of the Superpit allow visitors to watch giant mining vehicles spiral deep into the earth.

Other things to do in Kalgoorlie include Hannans North Tourist Mine and the Museum of the Goldfields. Both of them give good insights into the gold mining past.

Caterpillar 793C Haul Truck at Hannans North Tourist Mine, Kalgoorlie. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Direct flights to Kalgoorlie from Perth take 65 minutes. Alternatively, the Perth to Kalgoorlie drive takes around six-and-a-half hours. The Perth Mint in central Perth tells the story of Western Australian gold mining, too.

There are other Australian gold rush towns where the mines have long since closed, however. Central Tilba in New South Wales is now all about cafés and quaint shops. There’s a lot of this in Beechworth, Victoria, too, but the main reason to visit Beechworth is the series of sites connected to the Ned Kelly legend.

Australian gold rush towns in Victoria

The most appealing Australian gold rush towns are in Victoria. Walhalla, for example, is home to the Walhalla Goldfields Railway. This crosses Stringers Creek Gorge on a narrow gauge railway line originally built for the god mines.

The big two Australian gold rush towns, however, are now thriving regional cities. Bendigo and Ballarat are both a short drive from Melbourne, making feasible day trips from the Victorian capital.

You can investigate the tunnels creating an underground city at Bendigo’s Central Deborah Mine. But Ballarat’s the city with real appeal, largely due to Sovereign Hill. This enormous open air museum recreates an Australian gold rush town, with working wheelwrights, blacksmiths and more. You can also take a train ride into an old mine, or fossick for gold in the creek. The Melbourne to Ballarat drive takes just under an hour and a half.