Open MonumentPrint Page

The monument commemorates the contribution of the Chinese community to Ballarat.

The monument is a 430 square metre installation consisting of 33 stone panels.  The panels are laser-etched with personal accounts and historical images, and are mounted on two large walls that cascade into Len T Fraser Reserve.

The public art project titled ‘Open Monument’ is a joint initiative of project partners City of Ballarat, Sovereign Hill and the Chinese communities of Ballarat and Melbourne.   The design is reflective of the Chinese history in Ballarat and is indicative of many experiences throughout Australia had by the Chinese, and it describes the story if the migration and contribution of Chinese miners to Ballarat from the Gold Rush until the present day. It includes information about those who left and returned, and about those who stayed.  

The site allocated to the Chinese Camps was in the vicinity of Len T Frazer Reserve on Main Road, and this is the site of the monument.  The majority of the first Chinese arrived in Ballarat to try their luck mining for gold, and by 1858, the Chinese population in Ballarat had reached its peak, with almost 10,000 individuals on the goldfields. 

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