A time capsule, interred in the Burke and Wills Fountain in Sturt Street Ballarat in 1863, has been recovered today.
The time capsule yielded a selection of treasures including:
- Gold Sovereign
- Half gold sovereign
- Silver Crown
- Silver Half Crown
- Silver Florin
- Silver Shilling
- Silver sixpence
- Silver fourpence
- Silver thrupence
- Copper penny
- Copper half penny
- Copper farthing
- Star newspaper, 26 August, 1867
- Tribune newspaper
- Memoranda
The bottle in which the contents were interred was broken. The contents of the time capsule are considered priceless.
The dig took place on this morning, with school groups, community members and historical organisations in attendance. The dig was undertaken by Heritage Victoria Archaeologist, David Bannear and attended by a Heritage Victoria Conservator.
The recovered contents are currently being conserved and researched and will be on display at the Ballarat Gold Museum from tomorrow (07/05) in time for Ballarat Heritage Weekend. The contents will remain on display until June, 2011.
Historical records show that the time capsule was interred under the Burke and Wills fountain by Governor Barkly in 1863. It is understood the time capsule was removed and reinterred during 1867.
The recovery of this time capsule, Ballarat’s own link to the Burke and Wills story, has created much intrigue and interest within the Ballarat community. Ballarat has a link with the story through William Wills, who lived in Ballarat for a time whilst his father was a goldfields doctor.
The recovery project is being led by the City of Ballarat and Sovereign Hill, together with the support of Heritage Victoria, the Royal Society of Victoria, and the Department of Education and Early Childhood.
As part of a supporting educational program around the Burke and Wills story, local school students will be asked to work on contents to be placed in a time capsule for reinterment.