Step back in time and experience Australia's exciting goldrush days at Sovereign Hill. Set on a former goldmining site, this award winning outdoor museum recreates in fascinating detail the hustle and bustle of life in the 1850s. There is so much to do and see.

In the diggings you can pan for real gold! Witness $50,000 of molten gold being poured into a bullion bar at Sovereign Hill's Goldpour.

Go 13 metres underground on a tour of the Red Hill Mine, which uses life-size, moving "holograms" to reincarnate battling Cornish miner, Richard Jeffrey as he stumbles on what was the biggest gold nugget ever found, the Welcome Nugget - at 69 kilograms, still the second largest nugget in the world.

Sovereign Hill's Main Street is busy with people in colourful costumes and horse-drawn vehicles. Craftsmen are at work throughout the township, with a variety of shops and businesses open to purchase goods - grocers, candle maker, blacksmith and jewellers to name a few.

At the Hope Bakery, pastry cakes and breads are freshly baked each day in the wood-fired brick oven. You can play bowls, be photographed in Victorian costume, enjoy live street performances and ride in horse drawn coaches.

At night, Sovereign Hill stages the spectacular sound and light show "Blood on the Southern Cross", which tells the story of Australia's only civil uprising - the Eureka Rebellion of 1854.

Across the road from Sovereign Hill is the Gold Museum which houses an extensive and valuable collection of gold nuggets, alluvial deposits, gold ornaments and coins.

Beyond the gold experience, you can also explore a series of galleries offering new and fascinating exhibitions drawn from the Gold Museum's extensive collections, along with a number of touring exhibitions.

Local directions

Situated in the historic city of Ballarat, Sovereign Hill can be accessed by car, train, and tour coaches operating from Melbourne. Sovereign Hill is a comfortable 90 minutes drive from Melbourne along the Western Highway (or only an hour from Melbourne Airport!). Once in Ballarat, just follow the brown and white tourist signs to Sovereign Hill (on Bradshaw Street) to experience living history at Sovereign Hill!

Facilities

Activities

Tourism awards

2010  - Victorian Tourism Awards  - Finalist

2009  - Victorian Tourism Awards  - Finalist

Opening hours

Daily
10:00am -5:00pm
Open every day except Christmas Day. Open late during day light savings.

Memberships

• Inbound Tour Operators Association
• Tourism Alliance Victoria
• Tourism Council Australia
• Tourism Task Force

Disabled access

Contact operator for further details.

Additional business information

V/Line and Sovereign Hill present The Goldrush Special
A new V/Line train initiative - the Goldrush Special now delivers visitors directly to Sovereign Hill's front door. As part of the Goldrush Special a courtesy return service coach meets the train at Ballarat station and brings visitors directly to Sovereign Hill. After four and a half hours in our award winning attraction, the coach returns to Sovereign Hill to take visitors back to the railway station for their journey home. It's that easy. To make the trip even more affordable, people who travel aboard the Goldrush Special and show their valid V/Line tickets on arrival at Sovereign Hill, receive a 10% discount off the entrance price as well as a free 'Cobb & Co' coach ride. (no other discounts apply). Customers can purchase V/Line tickets from V/Line stations, premium metropolitan stations, V/Line agents, or by calling V/Line on 136 196. Southern Cross Station to Ballart Departure Time Arrival time in Ballarat Ballarat to Southern Cross Station Departure time from Ballarat Arrival time Melbourne Monday-Friday 9:08 am 10:32 Monday-Friday 3:58pm 5:32pm Saturday 9:08 am 10:32 Saturday 4:10pm 5:27pm Sunday 9:28 am 10:51 Sunday 4:00pm 5:26pm