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Sovereign Hill

  • Things to do
  • Ballarat
  1. Drysdale horses pulling along a horse and cart at Sovereign Hill
    Photograph: Supplied | Sovereign Hill
  2. Man inspecting a gold nugget
    Photograph: Supplied
  3. A woman in an 1850s outfit behind the counter in a sweet shop
    Photograph: Supplied
  4. A depiction of an eaglehawk
    Photograph: Supplied
  5. A Chinese-style temple with a projection of a man on it
    Photograph: Peter Glenane
  6. A dark scene with a mining poppet lit up
    Photograph: Peter Glenane
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Time Out says

Ballarat's outdoor gold rush museum continues to delight locals and tourists with its authentic 1850s experiences

Update 19/11/2020: Sovereign Hill has reopened to the public but some experiences remain unavailable due to current restrictions. Check with the venue for details.

Sovereign Hill is where history comes to life. The ten-hectare outdoor museum is sort of an antipodean version of Westworld, sans the homicidal robots and hedonistic atmosphere. Sovereign Hill genuinely makes learning about Victoria’s gold rush history fun, whether you’re panning for gold in the creek or dipping your own candle. 

You’ll find Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, a goldfields town roughly 90 minutes drive from Melbourne (the town is also serviced by a VLine train from Southern Cross Station). Once you step through the admission building into the recreated 1850s town you’ll find yourself surrounded by characters in historically accurate costumes, horse and carts and attractions that reveal what life was like during one of Victoria’s, if not Australia’s, most significant historical periods. 

You can spend hours meandering through the streets and exploring each building, however, it is worth looking at demonstration times and going in with a plan, too. See blacksmiths take to the anvil, confectioners create old school boiled sweets and even witness the spectacular gold pour where $160,000 of gold is melted and turned into a three-kilogram bullion.

Other daytime highlights at Sovereign Hill include the old-timey photography studio (dress up and get a sepia photograph with your friends) and underground mine tours. Then at night time come back for the outdoor show Aura.

Aura goes right back to the beginning of gold. All the way back the beginning of everything in fact. The immersive after-dark theatrical experience can be divided into three parts. First guests are treated to a (frankly, mind-bending) 3D film that takes you back to the big bang and the formation of all elements – including gold. 

Guests then hop on an open-air bus for a short, Jurassic Park-esque drive through Sovereign Hill to the outdoor amphitheatre for a creation story from the land’s traditional owners, the Wathaurong people. Hear about Bunjil the eaglehawk through a magical projection show – the colourful, luminous projections against the dark bushland bring the story to life and remind us that Ballarat's history is not just that of the gold rush.

Finally, Aura takes you into a third theatre for the pièce de résistance; the story of Ballarat – the story of gold – from just before European invasion to the bloody Eureka Stockade and the aftermath. The 90-minute experience is filled with dazzling visuals and dramatic special effects; don’t be too concerned if you hear gunshots or see buildings spontaneously catch alight.

Nicola Dowse
Written by
Nicola Dowse

Details

Address:
39 Magpie St
Ballarat
Melbourne
3350
Price:
$46.80-$58.50
Opening hours:
Daily 10am-5pm (except Christmas Day)

What’s on

Heritage Harvest Weekend

  • Fairs and festivals

There are those of us who mourn the end of long summer days, then there are those who can’t wait for the warm fires, hearty meals and general cosiness of autumn to set in. Well, no matter which category you fall into, a day trip to Heritage Harvest Weekend at Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill is guaranteed to bring out the autumn spirit in even the most sun-loving of souls.Heritage Harvest weekend will be a celebration of the traditional autumn harvest, where seasonal food is grown in abundance and then preserved to last throughout the winter. The weekend will showcase both fresh produce and food preserved through age-old practices brought to Australia from around the world.Head over to Ballarat on the weekend of May 25-26 and you can expect a total foodie takeover of Sovereign Hill. Forget Raspberry Drops and panning for gold – this weekend-long extravaganza will remould Sovereign Hill into a discerning food-lover’s paradise. So, what’s on the program? A produce market featuring 30 stalls will bring together quality wares from the region as well as copious seasonal fruits, vegetables and more from high quality producers. All the more for you to dry, salt, cure, pickle or ferment for the winter. Bring the kids along for heaps of activities catered to ‘little explorers’, or leave them at home and catch a live demonstration of traditional crafts and cooking hosted by the Country Women’s Association.  Take a deep dive into food with Aussie culinary icons Julie Goodwin (inaugural winner

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