<  Pioneer Miners Monument 1951 Quartz

The Gold Monument
At the intersection of Sturt and Albert Streets there is a large monument built of quartz boulders from Ballarat District mines. It was erected by the Mayor Cr W. E. Roff and a group of young members associated with the Ballarat Historical Society. The cost of this monument was financed without any appeal to the public.

On the top in the centre there is a miniature mine with a poppet head and mounted on the side there is a full size replica of the Welcome Nugget which was unearthed deep below the surface near the corner of Humffray and Mair Streets on 9 June 1858. It was the largest solid mass of gold ever found in the world up to that time and it was purchased for £10 500 by the Wittkoski Brothers. It was put on display in a hotel in Main Road and every mother who visited was allowed to seat her baby astride the nugget for good luck. It was shipped to England and finally melted down into gold sovereigns. There is another replica on display in the Gold Museum.

Plaques on the monument record the following:
This monument was erected by the Ballarat Historical Society to commemorate the finding of gold at Poverty Point 21 August 1851 and is dedicated to the memory of pioneer miners of Ballarat.