We are excited to welcome Doug Bradby for our April Talking History. Doug will discuss his latest book, ‘Famous Visitors to a Famous City’.
During the gold rush, virtually no one came to Ballarat merely to observe the excitement. However, there were a few people rich enough and curious enough to make the two-day journey inland from Melbourne to what was then colloquially referred to as ‘the ant heap.’
Over time, many more people came to marvel at how a mining town of muck and mullock could be turned into ‘The Garden City’ of grandeur and beauty. They were rarely disappointed. As one visitor said, ‘It is as impossible to hide your eyes to the beauty of Ballarat as it is to shut your mind to the inspiration of its history.’
Doug has lived and worked all his life in Ballarat. Educated at Urquhart Street Primary School, Ballarat High School and Monash University, Doug taught history for 30 years at Ballarat secondary schools. He has written seven history books for children and three books that explore Ballarat’s astonishing mining history. He is now working on a series of booklets that explore the vibrancy of community life in Ballarat.
Image: Roberts Bros. (photographers), ‘H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh and suite in mining costume after descending the Band of Hope Gold Mine, Ballarat’, ca. 1867
