10 Unmissable Things To Do In Ballarat

Ballarat’s gold rush history is evident in its grand architecture and myriad museums, but these days the regional city is enjoying a different type of riches. A flourishing food, wine and art scene is bringing about a cultural rebirth, while natural attractions draw visitors from near and far. We’ve mapped the best things to see, eat, drink and do while you’re in town, with everything from welcoming cellar doors to gorgeous scenic walks to load onto your itinerary.

Travel Back In Time To The 1800s At Sovereign Hill

Experience life during the gold rush era at this immersive, 15-hectare outdoor museum. Populated with shops, pubs, cottages and factories that look just like they did some 200 years ago, you can go panning for gold, travel through an underground mine or even make your own candles. Sovereign Hill is a Ballarat icon, educating visitors of all ages about the greatest gold rush in history. Don’t miss Aura, a 3D multi-sensory experience that tells the tale of the city from Wadawurrung creation to the chaos of the Eureka Rebellion.

Bradshaw Street, Ballarat

Cuddle Up To Furry Friends At Ballarat Wildlife Park

It’s animals galore at Ballarat Wildlife Park, an interactive wildlife park set on 27 acres of natural bushland. The family-run business mainly provides shelter to Australian species, meaning you can feed free-roaming kangaroos, cuddle adorable koalas, coo at wombats, and snap a selfie with quokkas and echidnas. After something more exotic? They have penguins, meerkats and a giant tortoise too. Take a break from all the fun with a packed picnic or visit the Brolga Café for lunch.

250 Fussell Street, Ballarat East

Get Spooky On A Nighttime Ghost Tour

Spend an evening exploring the paranormal side of Ballarat, a town steeped in early Australian history and Gothic-inspired architecture. Eerie Tours takes you through underground buildings, back alleyways and the remains of the old Ballarat Gaol as they regale you with tales of uncanny occurrences and ghostly sightings. Weaved throughout are facts about Ballarat’s history, so this tour is both fun and educational – win-win.

Lydiard Street N, Ballarat

Admire Modern And Classic Artworks At The Art Gallery Of Ballarat

The AGB is no dinky regional attraction – with a collection spanning 11,000 works, it’s right up there as one of Australia’s great galleries. Visiting exhibitions complement a magnificent permanent display grouping artworks into themes of Home, Country, Belief and Disruption. Opened in 1884, the heritage-listed building blends elegant 19th-century rooms with contemporary architectural additions.

40 Lydiard Street N, Ballarat Central

Learn The Art Of Craft At Aunty Jacks’ Beer School

Score a tank-to-tap appreciation of Ballarat’s burgeoning craft beer scene at Aunty Jack’s, a brewhouse in the town centre. Tour the facility where they make 100,000 litres of lager, pale ale, and stout each year, or dip into classes at their in house ‘Beer School’. There you can develop a palate for different varieties of beer from around the world and learn tips for pairing beer with food. Alternatively you can just sample the house product and soak up the relaxed brewery atmosphere.

315-317 Mair Street, Ballarat Central

Visit The Region’s Thriving Wineries And Cellar Doors

Ballarat has a small but flourishing boutique wine region worth checking out. Start at Mitchell Harris’s city cellar door, where you can sip stellar cool-climate wines paired with elegant small plates. A short and scenic drive to Coghill’s Creek will find you at Eastern Peake, where Young Winemaker of the Year-winner Owen Latta is producing some of the finest pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah in the region. Earth-conscious? The sustainability-championing folk at Michael Unwin Wines process and bottle onsite, even offering a ‘fill your own’ cellar door range.

38 Doveton Street N, Ballarat Central

67 Pickfords Road, Coghills Creek 

10 Powells Road, Windermere

Book Dinner At Ballarat’s Best Restaurants

Ballarat is home to some phenomenal restaurants and you’d be remiss not to experience them while you’re there. At the top of your list should be Underbar, a fine diner seating just 16 people. Serving a refined, seasonal tasting menu by a chef who’s worked at the famed Per Se in New York, it’s one of Ballarat’s most coveted reservations. For something more casual, there’s good-times pasta and wine bar Ragazzone for silky handmade pastas and Tuscan wines, or punchy modern Asian food and cocktails at Roy Hammond.

3 Doveton St N, Ballarat Central

319 Mair Street, Ballarat Central

24-28 Armstrong St N, Ballarat Central

Cycle Along The Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail

Explore Ballarat on two wheels via the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail, an easygoing track that follows the route of an old railway. You’ll pass through native grasslands, historical gold mining sites and the Nimmons Bridge, a 1850s hand built timber trestle bridge that’s a curious insight into engineering history. The whole trail is 53 kilometres, but you can do as much or as little as you like, with history boards sited at various points along the way.

Climb An Extinct Volcano At Mount Buninyong

Clear your lungs by climbing Mount Buninyong, an extinct volcano 20 minutes outside Ballarat. Rising 745 metres above sea level, it offers panoramic views across the region as a reward for conquering either the easy one kilometre Crater Walk, or the more challenging three kilometre Summit Walk (which takes you right to the peak).

Stroll (Or Paddle Or Tram) Around Lake Wendouree

Once upon a time Lake Wendouree was a shallow swamp, before it was dammed during the gold rush and turned into a picturesque lake. These days you can go for a leisurely walk or vintage tram ride around its six kilometre perimeter, ride a paddle steamer across it or even glide along it in a pedal boat. Alternatively, you could simply sit by the lake and observe the many ducks, waterhens and swans that live there.

Dream up your next getaway with the help of our guides to the best luxury accommodation, tiny cabins and romantic escapes in Victoria. Need some rejuvenation for the soul? Check out these soul-soothing yoga retreats.