It was the place to be for those hoping to strike it rich, and now those towns transformed by Australia's gold rush are a step closer to getting the coveted World Heritage status.
The discovery of gold at Ballarat in 1851 sparked Victoria's gold rush, enticing more than 6000 miners from across the globe to make their way to the area every week.
From hard rock open cut mines at Castlemaine to the Victorian era buildings of Bendigo, the region is considered the most extensive and best surviving gold rush landscape in the world.
Those goldfields were added to Australia's World Heritage Tentative List on Friday.
The region already welcomes millions of tourists each year and the World Heritage listing is expected to boost tourism even further.
Six key areas have been included in the Tentative List submission, including: the Bendigo Historic Landscape, Castlemaine Goldfields and Historic townships, with the possibility more could be added.
If successful, it would join the Budj Bim Cultural Lanscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Sydney Opera House.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who lives in Bendigo, says the goldfields are a living testament to those who came seeking a better life and how they changed the state.
“World Heritage sites are on bucket lists of tourists worldwide, and our historic goldfields are on their way to be right there among them – helping to draw in more visitors from all corners of the globe and inject millions into our regional economies," she said on Friday.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the goldfields told many stories including immigration and the building of towns in harsh landscapes.
“It deserves to be celebrated and protected," she said.
"Just like the unique landscapes of Cape York, the deep history of Murujuga, or the mining towns of South Australia, our government is supporting a diverse range of truly special places to be recognised on the world stage."
