Tag Archives: Colonial Christmas

A Colonial Christmas in Ballarat

Christmas Celebrations in the 1850s

A drawing of Christmas celebrations during the gold rush.  - National Library of Australia

A drawing of Christmas celebrations on the diggings – from the National Library of Australia

Christmas in Ballarat during the gold rush was very different than it is today.  They didn’t have all the glitzy decorations that adorn our modern streets and houses.  Despite this, they worked hard to create a joyous atmosphere that could remind them of Christmas back home.  Although, as this newspaper article highlights, they don’t seem to be missing the cold winter days…

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Christmas in the Colonies

Here at Sovereign Hill we are getting ready for Christmas with some colonial-style decorations, even our animals are getting into the spirit. Some photos are included below and you can see more on the Sovereign Hill Facebook page.

No plastic decorations or flashing lights in the 1850's.

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