Plot
Victoria is gold-mad. From Ballarat to Bendigo, the diggings swell with fortune-seekers from every corner of the earth.
At Ballarat the diggers make their stand — the Eureka Stockade rises for the working man. And near Beveridge, in a slab hut, a boy named Ned Kelly is born.
In Bendigo, on the street that bears his name, Ulrich Niemann throws open the doors of Niemann & Co. But Niemann means no one — so the diggers call it No One's Bank: the vault that belongs to no one and everyone.
From No One's Bank — the capital of Jack's Universe — all coin flows. This is where your story begins.
Every member's town joins this map — seeded from their real street. Ride the BrainOaway coach between them, and pin your own photos of places you travel (📷) — they land right on the world map. New goldfields open as the network grows.
In 1854 the diggers of Ballarat had had enough — and made history.
3 December 1854 — miners protested dear licences, harsh licence-hunts and having no vote. They built a timber stockade, raised the Eureka Flag and fought the government's soldiers. A turning point for Australian democracy and the "fair go."
Scottish digger James Scobie was killed near the Eureka Hotel on 7 October 1854. The anger over how his death was handled helped light the fuse that led to the Stockade.
Peter Lalor led the rebellion — and gave his name to the local pub. Pull up a stool and raise a glass to the man who stood for a fair go.
Ballarat's own, and the town's anchor. Bond Batteries has kept the district running since 1976 — the "main player" of modern Ballarat in your goldfields.
Ballarat opens as a full walkable town soon — pan the Yarrowee, storm the Stockade and drink at Peter Lalor's, with Bond Batteries anchoring the modern end.
“Eighteen fifty-four, is it? Gold to yer knees in mud, a licence-hunt every mornin', and No One's Bank the only dry roof in town. Grand for a yarn… but who'd want to stop here, eh?”
“The BrainOaway coach'll run ye clear to 2026 whenever ye fancy — free, no charge. And here's the trick: every speck of gold ye dig in '54 is worth a fortune in 2026. Grind a bit of gold here, jump ahead, and watch it turn into a pile of game money. Or stay in '54 with me — there's honest work for them that'll swing a pick.”
Every member's agents work across the network — their name and business turn up in towns like yours. A free ad for them here, and for you in theirs.