All that glitters : Telling the fiftieth anniversary story of gold at Sovereign Hill

Journal article


Reeves, Keir and Mountford, Benjamin. (2022). All that glitters : Telling the fiftieth anniversary story of gold at Sovereign Hill. Journal of Heritage Tourism. 17(4), pp. 448-464. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2022.2047708
AuthorsReeves, Keir and Mountford, Benjamin
Abstract

The fiftieth anniversary of Sovereign Hill, an iconic Australian tourism destination, provides a key point to consider the curatorial and historical perspectives of the museum’s past. This article considers its role and place as a regional community institution and its approach to telling the local, national, and international histories of the gold rush era of the mid-nineteenth century. Since opening in 1970, Sovereign Hill has provided millions of visitors with a living window onto the history of the Australian gold rushes, particularly the longitudinal impact of gold discoveries on the regional city of Ballarat. The article analyses how Sovereign Hill has sought to manage the ongoing dynamic tension between curatorial and historical interpretation with the commercial imperatives of being a premier heritage tourism destination, from the 1970s down to the era of COVID-19.

Keywordscultural tourism; history and heritage; Sovereign Hill; COVID-19 tourism; regional development
Year2022
JournalJournal of Heritage Tourism
Journal citation17 (4), pp. 448-464
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN1743-873X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2022.2047708
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85126376977
Page range448-464
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online09 Mar 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted23 Feb 2022
Deposited09 Jun 2022
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https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8xy69/all-that-glitters-telling-the-fiftieth-anniversary-story-of-gold-at-sovereign-hill

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