General News
11 January, 2024
Boost for local tourism website
The Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria (PMAV) have injected massive support into local tourism and information website, Goldfields Guide, in the form of a $5000 grant. Goldfields Guide is managed by Michelle Ross, who has single-handedly...
The Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria (PMAV) have injected massive support into local tourism and information website, Goldfields Guide, in the form of a $5000 grant.
Goldfields Guide is managed by Michelle Ross, who has single-handedly administered the website since 2017, with a continued passion for Goldfields history she has felt since her childhood.
“I spent a lot of time in the bush with my family and came across so many sites that didn’t have many information signs at landmarks that not many people seem to know about,” she said.
“I thought there is not really a central tourism website for the whole goldfields area, so I thought I’ll make one.
“I have put a lot of hours into it over the years, it varies everyday but it definitely is a full time job now.”
Ms Ross started a YouTube channel to complement her website 18 months ago documenting prospecting landscapes, fascinating tales and educational insights into the historic landmarks across the region.
This caught the attention of PMAV, with Ms Ross saying their support over a month ago has allowed her to improve her content.
“It was a big surprise really, I am very grateful for their support, they gave me a grant that allows me to keep doing what I am doing,” she said.
“I got a proper video camera, a tripod, a great microphone and a light kit so I can now do proper interviews with people and I can get better quality footage when I’m out in the bush — I have got everything I need now.”
The quality of new equipment coincided with Ms Ross' level of research and use of older photos to bring landmarks to life has led to the Goldfields Guide YouTube channel exploding in popularity recently.
The videos on the channel with nearly 5 000 subscribers have been viewed over 176,000 times in the past three months, almost 14 times greater than the population of the Central Goldfields Shire.
Ms Ross said her videos have been an exciting way to further inform current and new enthusiasts.
“As soon as I started doing the videos, I realised how much more you can share information and perspective in a video then what you can do on a page,” she said.
“I talk about things I am interested in — basically just being a huge nerd and sharing it with everyone else.
“The research is very involved, there is one that I am doing now that I have been researching for months now.
“I use historical documents, old newspapers, online catalogues from the State Library of Victoria, university historical collections that are really useful.”
Ms Ross expressed optimism that her partnership with PMAV and the growth of her YouTube channel will continue for the foreseeable future.
“I would like to give PMAV more exposure, they do a lot of great work supporting miners and prospectors in Victoria and they really do need it,” she said.
“I just plan on growing the YouTube channel over the next year or two and get it bigger — I just hope more people become aware of how interesting the history is in this area, especially the younger generation.”
The grant is the largest the association has given out to one person or organisation, and PMAV president Jason Cornish said the grant is a wise investment considering the remarkable work of the Goldfields Guide.
“When we saw the quality of work she is putting out, then found out it was only one person doing all of this, we knew we had to help her out,” he said.
“I would not be surprised if she was putting 80 hours a week into it — when I tell people about it, no one can believe that it is only one person not only doing the website but all these documentaries.
“I watch her videos and I learn things that even I didn’t know — she is a walking encyclopaedia of goldfields history and is able to bring alive these historical sights through her work.
“I met her at Melville Caves and she took me up the north end of it — it was amazing seeing all that and there would be a lot of tourists that wouldn’t even know about it. I didn’t, I have been there a couple of times.
“She’s doing a great job on documenting and promoting our historically important areas and we are more than happy to support her so she can take her work to another level.”
Mr Cornish added the continued promotion of historical landmarks in the region can be further expanded upon to unlock further tourism experiences.
“The assets and history that we have here in the goldfields can bring a lot more people to these towns similar to how America promotes their goldfield towns,” he said
“When prospectors come to towns, they usually stay for around a month to see all of the landmarks we have to offer.
“That can be a massive boost to the economy of all these small towns if we promote them more.”