Sovereign Hill – A Gold Mining Town in Ballarat
explore

Sovereign Hill – A Gold Mining Town in Ballarat

sovereign hill in ballarat

At Sovereign Hill, experience a trip back in time and immerse yourself in the passion of Australia’s gold rush era. This award-winning outdoor museum is located on a former gold mining site, and recreates the bustling and prosperous life of the 1850s in many details. Here, there is so much you can do and see that you will never want to leave.

Panning for Gold at Sovereign Hill

In the mining area, you can pan for real gold! In the Sovereign Hill’s Goldpour tour, you can witness the process of melting gold into ingots that are worth up to $50,000 AUD.

Enter the Red Hill Mine, 13 meters underground, where life-sized holograms recreate the Cornwall miner Richard Jeffrey who accidentally discovered the largest gold nugget of the time, the “Welcome Nugget”, weighing 69 kilograms, which is still the largest gold nugget in the world today.

What to Do at Sovereign Hill

Sovereign Hill’s Main Street is bustling with people in brightly coloured clothing and horse-drawn carriages. Skilled artisans are busy working throughout the town, and there are various industries and shops selling all kinds of goods, including grocers, candle makers, blacksmiths, and jewellers.

At the Hope Bakery, buttery croissants and fresh bread are baked daily in a wood-fired brick oven. You can also go bowling, dress up in Victorian-era clothing for photos, enjoy live street performances, or take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage.

Across the street from Sovereign Hill is the Gold Museum, which displays a variety of valuable collections, including gold nuggets, gold dust, gold jewellery, and gold coins.

In addition to the gold rush journey, you can also visit several art galleries featuring new exhibitions from the rich collection of the Gold Museum as well as many touring exhibitions, making it a fascinating destination.

Opening hours: Monday: Closed Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Address: Bradshaw Street, Ballarat, Victoria, 3350

Check out our latest posts

Best Places and Time to Pick Your Own Fruit in Sydney

Best Places and Time to Pick Your Own Fruit in Sydney

Staying home all day with nothing to do? Picking your own fruit can be a fun thing to do! Freshly picked fruit tastes way better than what’s on supermarket shelves. Make sure to check the fruit seasons so you don’t
Read more
The Grounds’ New Theme - Snow White

The Grounds’ New Theme – Snow White

The Grounds of Alexandria always creates the most stunning laneway themes! This time, their Snow White theme is absolutely amazing, like stepping straight into a fairy tale. Planning to grab a coffee with friends and live out our fairy tale
Read more
Weekend Chestnut Picking at Nutwood Farm in Sydney

Weekend Chestnut Picking at Nutwood Farm in Sydney

We had a weekend trip with friends to the Nutwood Farm in Mount Irvine for some chestnut picking! We were super excited for this countryside adventure! The farm has a picnic area, and you can even bring your dogs! Nutwood
Read more
Categories: Travel