Dig with Us
November - December 2025
Harrietville Chinese Mining Village
Season 5
Join us to discover more about the Chinese miners who once lived and worked in the 19th century Harrietville Chinese Mining Village. For around fifty years from the early 1860s Harrietville was home to many of the thousands of Victoria’s Chinese gold miners. This will be the fifth season of archaeological excavation at the Chinese Mining Village, following on from the previous three seasons.
Harrietville Chinese Mining Village - Dig Dates
This dig will take place over four weeks from Tuesday 18 November to Friday 12 December 2024:
• Week 1: Tues 18 November to Sat 22 November 2025
• Week 2: Mon 24 November to Fri 28 November 2025
• Week 3: Mon 1 December to Fri 5 December 2025
• Week 4: Mon 8 December to Fri 12 December 2025
Each week is a 5-day program.
You can take part for one, two, three or all four of these weeks.
You can start in Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 or Week 4 - there will be introductory training each Monday for new participants.
FEE RATES (AUD)
Full rate
$2085 for 1 week
$1985 for each subsequent week
Student rate
$1290 for 1 week
$1190 for each subsequent week
Residents of Alpine Shire
$1290 for 1 week
$1190 for each subsequent week
• Prices include program activities and training, heritage walking tours and talks, lunches and morning/afternoon teas, and a shared BBQ dinner on the last evening of each week.
• We will provide all equipment you will need to participate in the dig.
• Not included in these fees: accommodation, breakfast (or dinner except for Friday evening each week).
• All prices are GST-exempt.
• All students enrolled in tertiary and secondary education institutions are eligible for the Student Rate.
• You do not need to be an archaeology student to qualify for the student discount.
• All participants under the age of 18, need to be accompanied by another participant who is aged 18 or more.
• All students will need to provide proof of their enrolment.
• Archaeology students may also be entitled to course credits for participation in this dig, depending on their institution's fieldwork accreditation requirements. Please enquire for more details.
We are providing some optional low-cost share-house accommodation for an additional fee. The costs for this are:
$90 per person per night for a Queen Bed in a room to yourself
$60 per person per night for a Double Bunk Bed in a room sharing with others
$40 per person per night for a Single Bunk Bed in a room sharing with others
• You will be sharing bathrooms and toilets (several of each in the house).
• Bed linen and towels are included.
• There is a shared well-equipped kitchen and shared lounge rooms in the house.
Or you can arrange your own accommodation. If you would like to book your own accommodation, the dig site is close to a wide range of accommodation options in Harrietville and also nearby Bright (15 min drive from Harrietville): camping grounds, caravan parks, B&Bs, motels, hotels and chalets. The Ovens Valley is a popular spring tourism destination, so it is advisable to book your accommodation early.
• Complete the following registration pages and pay your $360 deposit to secure your place.
• The deposit is not refundable if you cancel your booking.
• After you have registered and paid your deposit, we will then calculate what your full cost will be, including accommodation (if you book that through us) and any discounts you are eligible for.
• We will send you an invoice by email itemising your total charges and discounts, and stating how much the balance will be, to complete your payment. Payment for the balance due will be via EFT to our bank account.
• We will also send you a detailed registration form to complete and return to us. This will help us to best accommodate your particular interests and needs.
• The balance is to be paid by 19 September 2025.
• Deposit is not refundable if you cancel your booking.
• Half of full fee is forfeited if you cancel your booking between 19 September 2024 and 31 October 2025 inclusive.
• Full fee is forfeited if you cancel your booking after 31 October 2025.
• In the unlikely event that the dig is cancelled by us (e.g. extreme weather forecast, Covid lockdown), you will receive a full refund of any monies paid, or you will be given the option to transfer your payment towards participation in another week of this dig, or you can book into a future program run by The Uncovered Past Institute.
Contact information
- Event contact
- Paul Macgregor
- Phone
- 0418 571 572
- Website
- Visit website