Our Experiences

Central Deborah Gold Mine

Descend to the depths of Bendigo and explore a real gold mine which operated during the gold rush era.

Victorian History Curriculum: Years 5 & 6 – The Australian Colonies; Years 9 & 10 – Australia and Asia.

Mine Experience Tour:
61m underground, 1.5hrs. $15.30 per student. Kitted up in a hard hat and miner's lamp, descend 61 metres underground with one of our friendly guides. With only the light on your helmet to light the path, your students will become enthralled by Bendigo's fascinating underworld as they explore the honeycomb of hidden underground tunnels. Our tour guides cover Bendigo's gold history, the geology of the rock formations they encounter, demonstrate the old mining methods and explain what it was like to be a miner during the harsh gold rush era. This tour is wheelchair accessible. 

Underground Adventure Tour:
85m underground, 2.5hrs. $47.25 per student. We'll kit you up in overalls, boots, a miner's hat and cap lamp to follow the gold bearing reef formations from Level 2 right down to Level 3, 85 metres underground. Your students will gain a real insight into how the gold bearing ore was extracted from the mine and the geology associated with the famous Bendigo Saddle Reef formations. Your students will be mesmerised by the lure of gold and the stronghold that it had over people as they explore the underground tunnels, drifts and stope workings that still contain gold veins. They will even get to climb ladders, work a mine drill and fossick for gold with finder's keepers! This tour also includes a 'miner's lunch' served in the Underground Function Room where students will get a delicious taste of what life was like working underground.

Guided Surface Tour:
45mins. $7.50 per student. Be guided on a tour of the surface which is dominated by a huge 22 metre high poppet head and contains many original buildings and equipment that were essential to the operation of Central Deborah in its mining days. Explore the old Blacksmith's Shop, the First Aid Room and the Carbide Lamp Room. You will be impressed by the Engine Room which contains the Winder that was installed in 1945 and is notable as the only complete working example in Australia (it is still used daily by our mine crew). Then give students some time to master goldpanning and see how much gold and treasurers they can find.

Bendigo Tramways

Step aboard a living piece of history that has been entwined with the city's identity since 1890 and get a glimpse of Bendigo in its heyday.

Vintage Talking Tram Tour: 
1hr. $5.00 per student. Discover how Bendigo’s goldfields transformed into a prosperous regional city. Hear about influential characters who left an indelible mark on the city, including: a German architect, a British soap maker turned quartz miner and a Russian business man … not to mention the Chinese, Irish, German and Cornish migrants who made Bendigo their home.
Victorian History Curriculum: Years 5 & 6 – The Australian Colonies. Years 9 & 10 – Australia and Asia.

Anzac Commentary:
1hr. $5.00 per student. This journey into the past will help your students imagine what life was like during WWI for children their age. Whether they enlisted or stayed on the home front, students will gain insight into the many physical hardships as well as the psychological impact of living through a world at war. The Anzac commentary is played on one of our standard Vintage Talking Trams.
Victorian History Curriculum: Years 9 & 10 – Australians at War. 

Dja Dja Wurrung Tram:
1hr. $5.00 per student. The Dja Dja Wurrung tram shares the hidden history of the region’s first people through song and stories told in their own words by members of the Dja Dja Wurrung clan. This experience also encourages students to imagine the landscape prior to settlement and explains the importance of the local flora and fauna in Aboriginal terms.
Victorian History Curriculum: Years 7 & 8 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Cultures. 

Bendigo Joss House Temple

From a few years after gold was discovered in 1851 to the present day, the Chinese community has been part of the proud history of Bendigo.

Victorian History Curriculum: Years 5 & 6 – The Australian Colonies; Years 9 & 10 – Australia and Asia.

Bendigo Joss House Temple Guided Tour:
1hr. $4.00 per student. The Joss House provides tangible evidence relating to the migration of the Chinese to Bendigo during the gold rush. The Joss House is an authentic reminder of how the Chinese overcame discrimination and built their lives, practiced their religious beliefs and ultimately made an essential contribution to the whole community through their industrious, disciplined and generous nature. The Joss House is a working temple and will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2021.

Make your excursion an overnight stay, click here to see Bendigo's other educational attractions!