The Culture Vulture Pass

Sovereign Hill is a living museum presenting the story of Ballarat as a goldrush boomtown. Gold was discovered here in 1851, triggering the greatest alluvial gold rush the world has ever known. The sleepy pastoral settlement of Ballarat grew rapidly into a fine provincial city built on the wealth derived from its gold.
Covering 15 hectares of a former gold mining site, Sovereign Hill's Outdoor Museum brings the gold rush to life through a living township with over 18 scheduled activities happening throughout the day, you can find yourself panning for real gold, witness musket firing, see boiled lollies, wheels, and candles being made all before your very eyes.
The Outdoor Museum enjoys international renown as a living museum featuring rare trades, working machinery, exhibits, and costumed interpreters.

Daily Activities include: The Diggings Tour: Explore Life on the early Goldfields hosted by a costumed interpreter.

The Red Hill Mine Tour: Discover the dark, dangerous world of deep lead mining and witness the discovery of the famous “Welcome Nugget”.

Gold panning: There’s real gold to be found in The Diggings and it’s yours to keep! Make sure you stop by the Waterloo store and purchase a gold bottle to protect your precious find.

Musket Firing: Our Troopers will tell you about law and order on the goldfields and demonstrate you how to load and fire a musket.

Sweet Making: Discover how boiled lollies are made in the traditional way and enjoy a sample at the end of the demonstration.

Gold Pour: Pure gold is melted to 1,000 degrees Celsius and poured into a mould to create a pure Gold Ingot.

Candlemaking: Be mesmerised with the enticing scents of our 19th century candle factory and watch our candle makers in action.

Bowling: Set up the skittles and try your hand at 9 pin bowling.

Wheelwrighting: Watch our skilled craftsmen create hubs, spokes and assemble coach wheels using traditional 19th century methods.

Top Tips: Sovereign Hill is a comfortable 90 minute drive from the Melbourne CBD along the Western Highway (or only an hour from Melbourne Airport).
For the best Sovereign Hill experience we recommend at least three to four hours to explore all the museum has to offer including its demonstrations and tours.
Dress for the weather! Sovereign Hill is an outdoor museum and runs daily activities in all weather conditions.
If you need to leave the Outdoor Museum at any time make sure you receive a pass out from our friendly customer service team.
Mobile and Digital Vouchers are accepted.

Eureka Centre is located at the National Heritage-listed Eureka Stockade Memorial Park, considered to be the site of the 1854 Eureka Stockade where the rebellion took place. It is home to one of Australia’s most compelling historic artefacts and textile treasures – the Eureka Flag. The Eureka Stockade resonates profoundly in Australia's national story. It was a transformative social movement that informed the development of democracy in Australia. At the Eureka Centre we explore the social history and cultural impact of the Victorian gold rush and honour the stories of the men and women who risked their lives in the fight for miners’ rights. The Eureka Stockade Memorial Park is a place to contemplate the events of Eureka.

The Gallery is staying up late!

This January, we are keeping the Gallery up way past its bedtime. Our doors are open until 10 pm every night until Saturday 29 January.

So if you're heading out for dinner or drinks in Ballarat's CBD or enjoying Spark Theatre's Pop Up Park activities in Alfred Deakin Place, make sure you make time to call in to the Gallery and check out our latest displays.

On selected nights, we have engaged local musicians to perform live to provide a soundtrack for your enjoyment of our collection.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat is not just Australia's oldest regional gallery but one of its most exciting. Located in the heart of Ballarat's central heritage precinct, the Gallery boasts the most significant collection of Australian art outside the major national and state institutions.

The Gallery presents a range of exhibitions from the colonial period through to cutting edge contemporary art drawn from the Gallery's extensive collection, as well as temporary ticketed exhibitions featuring works of art from museums around the world. It is a focus for Ballarat's lively arts scene, situated in the heart of Ballarat's central area, surrounded by great cafes and restaurants, book and antique shops and commercial galleries.

The Gallery is staying up late!

This January, we are keeping the Gallery up way past its bedtime. Our doors are open until 10 pm every night until Saturday 29 January.

So if you're heading out for dinner or drinks in Ballarat's CBD or enjoying Spark Theatre's Pop Up Park activities in Alfred Deakin Place, make sure you make time to call in to the Gallery and check out our latest displays.

On selected nights, we have engaged local musicians to perform live to provide a soundtrack for your enjoyment of our collection.

Schedule:

Friday 21 January, 6 pm to 9 pm
Mick Trembath, acoustic guitar
Ballarat born guitarist Mick Trembath plays a range of finger style genres.

Saturday 22 January, 6 pm to 9 pm
Mick Trembath, acoustic guitar

Thursday 27 January, 6 pm to 9 pm
ZOJ duo (Gelareh Pour and Brian O'Dwyer)
Iranian-Australian musician Gelareh Pour and experimental drummer Brian O'Dwyer fuse Persian and Western motifs into their intoxicating music.

Friday 28 January, 6 pm to 9 pm
Candi Wade
Candi Wade is a solo acoustic guitar player and singer who has been playing and performing from a very young age.

Saturday 29 January, 6 pm to 9 pm
Cassells Acoustic
A solo acoustic project founded by Jordan Cassells, blending the unique sounds of Alternative/Folk Acoustic into encapsulated stories of personal life events.