Blood on the Southern Cross is a sound and light show at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat that occurs at night. The name sound and light show indicates that the show is made up of sounds and lights. The sounds consist of things like voices, men working on the goldfields and pretend gunfire and explosions. The lights help me focus on different areas as sounds occur. I will see only one actor, right at the end of the show.

At the entrance to Sovereign Hill one of the guides will meet my school and give my teachers for school children on the show which will be read to me. Click here to read the rules. If it is cold, this usually happens inside the foyer of the front building. Sometimes there can be lots of children and adults in this small space but once my school is ready it will be time to enter the theatre. I will stay with my group.

My teacher will then take me down three flights of steps to the theatre where a guide will direct me where to sit. The room fits about 200 people. Once everyone, including members of the public are seated, the lights will dim and the show will begin. I will watch a show that is projected onto the screen at the front. This goes for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once this part of the show is finished I will exit the theatre and follow the guides to the diggings.

If it is raining I will immediately enter the Blood on the Southern Cross vehicles because the next part of the show is out in the open. We will explain the vehicles a bit later. If it is not raining I will hear music and see lots of lights on the diggings where people pan for gold during the day. The music can seem very loud to some people. The bass can make my tummy feel a bit funny but once everyone has left the theatre the next part of the show commences and the music stops. Here, lights will light up different parts of the diggings to draw my attention to shops, tents and even a school. There are lots of audio speakers hidden around the diggings so it sometimes sounds as if the horses and people are really there.

After about 10 minutes the guides will ask us to move to another part of the diggings near the store. The guides have lights to show us the way. I need to walk on the track which can be a bit dark so I will stay close to my school mates, teachers and helpers. After this part of the show, I will see the Blood on the Southern Cross vehicles come down the road with their lights on. These vehicle are like long, open busses. Our guide will then tell us to enter the vehicles.

If it’s raining , the driver of my vehicle will drop down the plastic curtains to help keep me dry. The driver and the guides will raise a hand rail that is latched in place to keep me safe. I will go up the main street, around the back of the museum where the horses are kept to the Free Trade Hotel. The vehicle drives slowly so we can see what Sovereign Hill looks like at night.

When I arrive at the Free Trade Hotel, my driver will drop the safety rails and I will follow my guide into the building to take a seat. Once everyone is seated the front walls of the room will begin to open to reveal the scene of the next part of the show. Once again, music will be playing with a lot of bass to help get us excited for the show ahead. For the majority of this part of the show there is a lot of talking but, without giving away too much, there are a few things that are a bit unexpected for most people.

These occur throughout the show at different stages These occur throughout the show at different stages. Here is a list of things that may startle some people: Sounds of gunfire Large flames Loud voices and music Explosions Sounds of thunder coming through the speakers Flashing lights that represent lightning A dummy that represents the body of a person. This is not a real person. The fact that it is dark where I am sitting If I am concerned I will ask my helper if we can sit up the back near the exit.. At the end of the final battle my guide will lead me to the vehicles for the final time. I will then be driven back to the main street of Sovereign Hill.

Once I arrive back at the main street of Sovereign Hill, my driver will lower the hand rail and I will follow the guides down to the Victoria Theatre. From the street below I will see an actor pretending to be Peter Lalor. (If it is raining I will go inside the theatre to watch Peter Lalor on the stage.) At the end of Peter Lalor’s speech I will follow him down to the main entrance. From here I will follow my teachers.

Return to Page 2