Mining the Yarrowee: Environmental Change on the Ballarat Goldfield

Ballarat’s mining history is celebrated, but less known is the environmental damage to local waterways. Ballarat’s goldmines were amongst the richest in Australia, and they all sent their waste into the Yarrowee River. An interdisciplinary approach that integrates documentary evidence with insights from archaeology and geomorphology reveals the effects of mine waste on the river during the nineteenth century and how those effects continue to be felt. Deposits of mine tailings remain on the floodplains from Ballarat East downstream to Inverleigh and the junction with the Barwon River. Historical perspectives provide crucial context for understanding lasting changes to the Yarrowee and its catchment and how the effects of goldmining continue to have lasting impacts on heritage, ecosystems, and river health.