Lucky City

Ballarat was not a typical goldfield. There was little surface alluvial gold and, in a tantalising search for fabulous underground river beds the, the youthful migrants of the 1850s overcame immense obstacles. They were both thrifty and speculative, using the profits of one bonanza to pursue another—and were probably goaded by officialdom into the famous Eureka rebellion of 1854.

Weston Bate explores the interaction of man with the environment. He sees Ballarat’s pioneers as heroic adventurers. And he shows how a makeshift boom town matured into Golden City, City of Gardens, City of Sculptures.

Lucky City tells how pastoral, agricultural, timber-milling and mining activity sustained a regional marketplace and industrial centre. It looks at the spread of Ballarat’s influence across the country, and charts its rivalry with Bendigo and its resentment of Melbourne’s interference.

This is the lively story of an immigrant community. Its focus is human, its writing clear and engaging, and its wonderful collection of illustrations covers the whole panorama of Ballarat life.