Being opened tonight by the Mayor of Greater Bendigo Council, Andrea Metcalf, Victoria’s Goldfields:
Chinese Curiosities from Heritage Victoria is a collaborative exhibition between Golden Dragon Museum
and Heritage Victoria. It presents small vignettes of the Chinese presence across Victoria from the mid1800s into the 20th century and showcases the significant collection of artefacts held by Heritage Victoria
that relate to and show evidence of the Chinese diaspora across the state.

Victoria’s Goldfields: Chinese Curiosities from Heritage Victoria is also the first temporary exhibition in the
Museum’s new Temporary Exhibition Space. Created during the Museum’s recently completed Upgrade
Project, the new Temporary Exhibition Space is situated in the repurposed foyer of the Museum before
visitors enter the Sun Loong Gallery.

With objects that are frequently small in size, but significant in their stories, Victoria’s Goldfields shows
items that help to locate Chinese communities throughout Victorian history and shine a light on stories and
times that have been all too often lost to history. The exhibition also speaks to the archaeological method of
investigation, analysis, and identification used by historical archaeologists as they search for artefacts from
the past and strive to reveal their hidden and sometimes elusive stories.

Golden Dragon Museum and Heritage Victoria have worked together in the past, most recently on the care
and preservation of the Heritage Registered Imperial Processional Dragon Loong through the Loong
Conservation Project which was supported by a $133,000 Living Heritage Grant in 2021. During that
project, Heritage Victoria’s collection of Chinese archaeological material was discussed with Golden
Dragon Museum and this project was developed to bring the two organisations together through a
collaborative exhibition showcasing the Heritage Victoria collection at Golden Dragon Museum.

The exhibition continues until 10 November 2024.

NEW TEMPORARY EXHIBITON SPACE
One of the outcomes of the recent Museum Upgrade Project at Golden Dragon Museum was the creation
of a Temporary Exhibition Space in the foyer.
This exhibition is the first in this new space and represents a return to the Museum showing a program of
regularly changing temporary exhibitions after a lapse of many years. These exhibitions are an important
part of the Museum’s Community Engagement Program which ensures that it continues to engage with the
public through a range of exciting, creative and dynamic activities.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Working together, Heritage Victoria and the Golden Dragon Museum will collaborate on a suite of public
programs including school programs, specialty tours, historical talks, and interactive workshops that will
bring the exhibition to life and highlight key aspects of this fascinating part of Victoria’s heritage.
First of these will be a Curator’s Talk presented by Anne-Louise Muir, Heritage Curator, Heritage Victoria,
on Saturday 2 December at 11:00 am.
Bookings not required.
Museum admission charges apply.
Further information is available at www.goldendragonmuseum.org