Clip description
This clip opens with a view of Lydiard Street in the centre of Ballarat, Victoria, followed by shots of the statue of Peter Lalor and the monument to the Eureka Stockade uprising. The Ballarat Town Hall and Post Office are shown. The voice-over narration by Frank Thring touches on Ballarat’s history as a goldmining town. As Thring talks about the gold revival of the 1930s, men dig up the streets in search of treasure. The clip is accompanied by an instrumental score.
Curator’s notes
For the most part, this travelogue is similar to others of the time in presenting the main historical features of a city, its civic buildings, recreation areas and tourist attractions. However, this clip shows a glimpse of how the economic depression of the 1930s affected many people throughout the country.
During the Great Depression, the prices fetched for gold led to a revival of prospecting in parts of regional Victoria. The men in this clip digging up the streets were most likely unemployed and looking for a way to survive. Although not directly referred to, the strain of the Great Depression is clear and contemporary audiences would have understood the prospectors’ situation.