Ballarat, Destinations, Goldfields, Victoria, Australia

Overview

Creativity flows from every corner in Ballarat. Bit by bit, this UNESCO Creative City has transformed from historic gold town into a modern whirlwind of art, culture, food, and wine. Quite a feat, don't you think? Experience it for yourself. Step back in time, retracing remarkable gold rush history in immersive living museums and along heritage walking trails.

Spark your imagination at the oldest – and one of the best – regional art galleries in Australia. Then celebrate the present in modern restaurants, wine bars and breweries. This is the indulgent bit, the come together and feast bit. Every bit of it golden.

Introduction

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Art Gallery of Ballarat

Art galleries

Discover the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia's oldest regional gallery, with an exceptional collection of Australian art and changing exhibitions.

Ballarat Wildlife Park

Sanctuaries, zoos & farms

Winner of Victoria's Best Attraction at the 2023 Victorian Tourism Awards.Ballarat Wildlife Park is set amongst the beautiful gum trees on the outskirts...

Ballarat wine region

Eat & drink

Ballarat's cool climate is ideally suited to producing top quality sparkling, chardonnay and pinot noir.

Hotel Vera And Restaurant Babae

Hotels

Ballarat’s newest luxury accommodation offering, Hotel Vera is located in a painstakingly restored, 19th-century mansion in the heart of Sturt Street...

Blue Pyrenees Estate, Goldfields, Victoria, Australia

Pyrenees wine region

Eat & drink

Throw a boule on a piste outside a vineyard in ruggedly beautiful surrounds in mild temperatures deep in the Pyrenees wine region – of Victoria.

Family panning for gold with costumed digger

Sovereign Hill

History & heritage

Strike it rich with a day out in 1850s Ballarat and pan for gold, ride in a horse-drawn carriage and relive the Eureka Rebellion with sound and light.

The Provincial Hotel and Restaurant Lola

Hotels

The Provincial Hotel sits pretty on Ballarat’s historic Lydiard Street. Built in 1909, the iconic building is recognised by the National Trust, and has...

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Zoo Keeper teaching children about a snake

Junior Keeper Program

Classes & workshops

Until 30 Apr 2024

The Ballarat Wildlife Park’s ‘Junior Keeper Program’ is an incredible three-hour experience hosted by some of the Wildlife Park’s experienced keepers,...

Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

Exhibitions

Until 02 Jun 2024

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is a defining artwork of the 1980s. Nan Goldin’s extended photographic study of her chosen family – her ‘tribe’ – began...

fisheye view of a technological array of circles and buttons

Next Gen

Exhibitions

Until 21 Apr 2024

Discover the issues, ideas and causes that are inspiring the next generation of young artists.Next Gen 2024 showcases some of the best of the work created...

Musical Bingo

Community

Until 19 May 2025

Every Thursday night at Hop Temple it's Bingo with a twist- Musical Bingo!Instead of your standard old bingo numbers, they play all your favourite new...

Georgia MacGuire: Onemda

Exhibitions

Until 21 Apr 2024

Artist Georgia MacGuire, known in her art practice as Blackgin, states that her heart beats for ‘Community, Culture and Country’. Her art serves as a bridge,...

Fabric layered, running stitch and free hand embroidery

Loose Threads, exhibition by Ballarat Fibre and Textile Network

Exhibitions

Until 27 Apr 2024

‘Loose Threads' is a free exhibition of many forms of art produced by the talented members of the Ballarat Fibre and Textile Network. Members often take...

Breakfast with the Tigers

Lectures & talks

Until 30 Jun 2024

Join the keepers at Ballarat Wildlife Park for a keeper talk at the tiger sanctuary.Their tigers Kai and Akasha will have their breakfast or morning enrichment,...

Three polymer clay sculptures of different David Bowie eras.

Christoper Risk: Golden Years

Exhibitions

Until 18 Apr 2024

Sculptor and dedicated Bowie fan, Christopher in his own unique style, has created a series of works celebrating the iconic looks and personas of the music...

Photo of large room with books around the wall and a sunroof

BMI Building Tours

History & heritage

23 Apr 2024

Join a tour to hear tales of the colourful history of the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute and its people.The Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute (BMI) is Ballarat’s...

Apronstrings

Lectures & talks

Until 15 Sep 2024

Suspended blue aprons enclose and entangle the viewer as a metaphor for the selfless investment of heart and soul by women across time. This creates a...

Angela Brennan String theory 2020 (detail). Oil on linen. Purchased with funds from the Colin Hicks

Angela Brennan: Tête-à-tête and Vis-à-vis

Exhibitions

Until 21 Apr 2024

Angela Brennan is a Ballarat-born artist who has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Australia and internationally for over 30 years. Brennan...

Beer and Bread by Aunty Jacks

Classes & workshops

Until 05 Jul 2024

Immerse yourself in a beer experience like no other as you familiarize yourself with a range of craft and accessible beers from Aunty Jacks. This premier...

Battle scene in AURA sound and light show

AURA Sound and Light Show at Sovereign Hill

Community

17 Apr 2024

From a place you know comes a story you don’t — AURA immerses you in the story of gold in a 90 minute high impact, graphic presentation which explores...

Exhibition by Monica Maud: Time and Tide

Exhibitions

17 Apr 2024

Monica psychologist and artist has been captivated by the topics of line and time in nature. She reflects these ephemeral and lasting moments of nature...

Three women seated at looms with instructor looking over

Saori Weaving Workshop at the Rare Trades Centre

Classes & workshops

17 Apr 2024

Find your Zen at the loom.Join Prue Simmons, one of only three accredited Saori weaving teachers in Australia and discover the easy and enjoyable freestyle...

Creswick Woollen Mills - A Very Fine Yarn

Family

Creswick Woollen Mills is an award-winning Australian family business and the last coloured woollen spinning mill in Australia located in Creswick, Victoria...

Ballarat Ghost Tour - presented by Eerie Tours

Eerie Tours Ballarat

Tour operator

Eerie Tours is one of Australia's most popular Ghost Tour providers and the first to win a Victorian Tourism Award. Eerie Tours invites you to spend an...

When it first ran in Ballarat in 1930 No 26 looked like this

Ballarat Tramway Museum

Museums

Travel back in time through the beautiful Ballarat Botanical Gardens alongside Lake Wendouree. By riding one of the 100 year old trams which provided Ballarat's...

Piano Bar Ballarat

Live music

Piano, by request. At the Piano Bar in Ballarat, it’s as uncomplicated as that. Grab a request slip from the bar, write down that song you’ve been yearning...

Goldfields for dogs

Features

You'll dig the treasures on offer in the Goldfields. There's parks, lakes, posh nosh and craft brews and plenty of space for you and your best mate.

Ballarat's Sanctuary Day Spa

Spa & wellbeing

At Ballarat’s Sanctuary Day Spa, their ultimate goal is to guide you towards a lasting sense of well-being through holistic healing and nurturing treatments.A...

Lake Wendouree

Lakes & waterways

Join visitors and locals alike for lakeside activities and water sports at this ever-popular recreational spot in Ballarat.

Lal Lal Falls

Waterfalls

Lal Lal Falls is a waterfall 20 minutes' drive from Ballarat with an impressive drop into a large, rocky gorge.The reserve features a large grassy area,...

Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail

Cycling

The 53km Ballarat–Skipton Rail Trail runs along the former railway to Skipton, from western Ballarat, Haddon, Smythesdale and Pittong to Skipton. Upgraded...