Central Deborah Gold Mine
Central Deborah Gold Mine
Central Deborah Gold Mine
4.5
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
At Central Deborah Gold Mine you will discover more about Bendigo's golden past at a real gold mine that operated during the gold rush boom of the 1900s. Don a hard hat and light, descend to the depths of Bendigo and experience what conditions as a miner were really like during the harsh gold rush era. Find out what was involved in unearthing the 929kg of gold that was discovered at Central Deborah Gold Mine, witness traditional mining equipment in action and see gold in its natural state!
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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4.5
940 reviews
Excellent
707
Very good
210
Average
21
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Tracie S
Launceston, Australia61 contributions
Nov. 2023 • Couples
Informative tour of gold mine. Great presentation by Nathan. Terrific for children and adults alike. Learn about the mining of gold and go underground into the mine. Very safe tour, plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Learn about drilling, the history of the mine and how to tell the difference between Gold and Fools gold.
Written 20 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hey Tracie, thanks so much for the great review! Amazing to see you enjoyed your time with us, and got to learn some interesting facts about mining. We've passed on your kind words to our tour guide Nathan as well.
Written 24 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
springbanktraveller
Callgary870 contributions
Apr. 2023 • Solo
What an insight into the early gold minding area in Bendigo Australia. The small tour group were supplied with hard hats and lamps and we boarded an elevator cage to deep underground. Walking through narrow tunnels with some water seepage to where we were shown the quartz veins were gold was found and is still there in specks, the lighting by candle light as flamable liquids could explode, mining by hand held drills and where explosives were put to bring down the rocks. All in all a most interesting guide who narrated the history of the mind. There is also a wonderful gift shop in the centre and has on display various real gold pieces and other artifacts and souvenirs. Well worth a visit.
Written 13 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the wonderful feedback, we're pleased to see you had a great experience and learnt so much on your tour through the mine!
Written 17 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Aaron M
Penrith, Australia134 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Solo
Highly recommended underground gold mine experience on all aspects of mining challenges. Great value for money too compared to Ballarat.
Written 8 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for your review and recommendation! We're glad to see you enjoyed the Mine Experience underground tour here in Bendigo.
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nanda Lal W
Ragama, Sri Lanka6 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Family
We go down to 200 feet. Very interesting and well explained. One can imagine what sort of life the miners had though they were paid well. On the surface you can see the changing rooms, work shop, engine room,old air compressors and many more. Must visit the place.
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you, your feedback is greatly appreciated! We're pleased to see you found the experience to be interesting.
Written 17 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Friederika K
Melbourne, Australia19 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Family
My grandnephew, aged 13, and I recently visited the Deborah Mine in Bendigo. It was an informative, safe and enjoyable experience for both of us. Jeremy, our guide filled us with lots of educational facts (and laughs) and Jackie, the customer service manager, was most obliging in helping us resolve a situation. Unfortunately, I had the opposite experience in a remote mine I visited last year which was not only unsafe, but hazardous. Highly recommend the Deborah Mine in Bendigo.
Written 4 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debi91056
Port Macquarie, Australia11 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Couples
Very interesting and informative, a great experience not to be missed.
Our guide was full of information .
The tour was very well run, with safety a priority
Our guide was full of information .
The tour was very well run, with safety a priority
Written 18 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tee
Melbourne, Australia19 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
It was free to walk around the site above ground, and they welcomed my giant dog with porn arms. Extremely informative, and well preserved. I’ll be back to pay for the underground tour in the future.
Written 20 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We love seeing furry friends exploring the surface! Thanks for the great review, we look forward to seeing you next time for the Mine Experience underground tour.
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Janine H
Adelaide, Australia2 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
This is a must see and a must do when in Bendigo. Sarah-Jane is a fantastic guide who relates the information about the mine in an engaging way and manages to weave personal experience into the visit. 61 mtrs underground, it’s wet and cold but well worth the visit. 5 stars SJ you’re a legend.
Written 2 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andreas S
3 contributions
Apr. 2023
Very info packed and fun tour. Learnt all about Bendigo's gold fields. How cramped the lifts were. How they blasted the tunnels and what a slow process that was. Finding gold in quartz was cool too.
Written 20 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShareenWS
Greater Melbourne, Australia40 contributions
Mar. 2023
Enjoyed our stay. Rooms have been updated. Great space, so comfortable with the extra chairs. The updated shower was fantastic. Rooms lovely & clean. Room service available from the National was very very good. Will definately stay again. Will need to plan ahead a bit more as they can be very busy.
Written 9 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
suejoyce
Waterloo ON Canada14 contributions
The trip below ground was a real highlight of our 6 month tour of Australia. I am currently updating our travel website and would love to know if the re-opening proved successful.
We visited Deborah in 2005/6. At that time we had a personal tour as we were the only ones to book the longer tour on that day. Officially two hours the docent was so enthusiastic we were down there for over 3 hours. We were told they had been building a new shaft and would fairly soon be bringing up the first gold in recent history. I can find no information online about the mine being operational and wonder if there is current production at the site.
Thankyou. Sue, Ontario Canada
poodlesme
Melbourne, Australia17 contributions
Hi Sue,
On the tour they said that they have not found any more gold in this mine. It is not operational, for tourists only. The maximum group size is 6 & it is for information & insight only that you do the underground tour.
There is a North Deborah mine and I believe it was more successful with the quantity of gold initially found.
None of the mines in the area are operational these days - apparently the cost of mining & volume of gold don't make it viable.
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Australia and it must have made an impact as it was over 10 years ago.
Regards!
SharnaJ82
Melbourne, Australia8 contributions
Is this suitable for toddlers
BendigoHeritageAttractions
Bendigo, Australia
Hi Sharna, as mentioned by others there is an age limit of 3+ years to go underground on the Mine Experience Tour. When deciding if the tour will be suitable for your younger children just take into consideration that they do need to keep a hard hat on the whole time, it is dark underground, there are loud noises when the mining equipment is demonstrated and there aren't any toilets underground. Alternatively, some visitors choose to split their group/family up, with some going underground and the others exploring the surface of the mine and doing a Vintage Talking Tram Tour with the younger children, which also departs from Central Deborah Gold Mine.
Am i allowed to take gopro video camera on a chest or wrist harness?
Mordi35
Bendigo, Australia179 contributions
Yes will be fine.
Christine G
Shepparton, Australia2 contributions
Did anyone feel claustrophobic when going down the mine?
619goldierocks
Melbourne, Australia5 contributions
Most people would already know if they suffer from severe claustrophobia. I have taken groups of 25 university students at a time down it annually for many years (20 plus years?). I think there was a single case of a student feeling claustrophobic that I recall, but not seriously. The main drives (tunnels) are open and wide, the underground access is via a roomy "raise climber", not via a small cage (it is as big as a hospital lift or bigger). It is not physically demanding. The only place it gets narrower is if you choose to go down the ladderway to an interesting lower level, but if it worried anytime one could ask the guides to stay in the main tunnel - from memory they split into two groups in that instance (and of course everyone is always in the presence of a guide at all times). The guides are conscientious about how people feel.
Hi I was just wondering if you can just book in to do the gold panning...My daughter who is 9 really wants to pan for gold and actually get some....I thought i would ask you first before our other option which is all the way down ballarat, and will cost a forfune just to get in the gates to buy a bag of dirt with some guaranteed gold in it for kids to pan...
Thanks
Paula
fiogib
Bendigo, Australia221 contributions
They don't actually have a gold panning pond like Ballarat do. They have an area with some large metal containers filled with water and dirt that you pan in. This is all included in the initial mine entry ticket. The Bendigo mine, although really interesting, is not as extensive as the 'township' set up in Ballarat. For a day out for a 9 year old I would recommend Ballarat over Bendigo
641tracyh
10 contributions
will it be open boxing day 2015?
BendigoHeritageAttractions
Bendigo, Australia
Yes, Central Deborah Gold Mine will be open on Boxing Day. We are only closed on Christmas Day. Tours will be running more frequently that day as well. We suggest booking in advance to guarantee your place on a tour. - From the team at Central Deborah Gold Mine
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Claim your listingCentral Deborah Gold Mine: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Central Deborah Gold Mine
- Hotels near Central Deborah Gold Mine:
- (0.07 km) Central Deborah Motel
- (0.16 km) National Hotel Complex
- (0.28 km) Stay Social
- (0.49 km) Best Western Cathedral Motor Inn
- (0.28 km) Stay Social Bendigo - 7 Bedroom Award Winning Guesthouse - Be Amazed!
- Restaurants near Central Deborah Gold Mine:
- (0.12 km) The National Hotel Complex Bistro
- (0.14 km) Beechworth Bakery Bendigo
- (0.15 km) Gallo Coffee Co.
- (0.26 km) Coffee Bean
- (0.26 km) Domino's Pizza