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!

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.

Yes will be fine.

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.

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

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