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Coming & Going

Ballarat has good transport connections with Melbourne. Both trains and buses depart from the train station on Lydiard Street North.

Local Transport

Ballarat's local bus service has half-hourly departures to most parts of the city with most routes converging near Bridge Street Mall. A two-hour ticket costs $1.55.

Accommodation

Sovereign Hill YHA Lodge

Tel (03) 5333 3409

Sights

If you visit most of Ballarat's attractions you may want to consider buying the Ballarat Eureka Pass ($35.50), which allows two days unlimited entry to the Eureka Centre, the Gold Museum and Sovereign Hill plus entry to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.

Ballarat Fine Art Gallery

Australia's first provincial art gallery has an impressive collection of early Australian art including collections from the Colonial and Heidelberg Schools. The main exhibit is the original Eureka flag, which was raised during the Eureka Stockade in 1854 and has been displayed here since 1895.

Eureka Stockade Centre

This museum sits on the site of the Eureka Stockade, which is the closest Australia has come to having a civil war. In 1854 around 800 miners rebelled against the oppressive taxes and police brutality imposed by the British colonial government. On 3 December 1854 government troopers attacked the stockade. The resulting battle lasted only 20 minutes and left 30 miners and five troopers dead.

Sovereign Hill

This 1850s gold mining township is Ballarat's main attraction. It is an excellent living history exhibit featuring staff in period costume, and is the best attraction of its kind in Australia. The Sovereign Hill complex incorporates an excellent Gold Museum, which covers Ballarat's history with an emphasis on the impact of the gold rush.

Bendigo

This important provincial city was a major gold mining centre in the 1850s. The city's mineral wealth has resulted in excellent Victorian architecture in the downtown area along Pall Mall.

Practical Information

Bendigo Visitor Information Centre

INTERNET ACCESS

Bendigo Web Central

Coming & Going

Bendigo is 2½ hours north of Melbourne with regular bus and train connections. Both buses and trains stop at the station on Railway Plaza at the southern end of Mitchell Street.

Local Transport

Christian's Bus Company (website www.christiansbus.com.au/bendigo.html) operates a network of 13 bus routes in the Bendigo area. It costs $1.50 for two hours of unlimited travel in the Bendigo area.

Bendigo also has a tram route, but this is more of a tourist trap than a practical transport option.

Accommodation

Buzza's Bendigo Backpackers YHA

Tel (03) 5443 7680

Ironbark Bush Cabins

Tel (03) 5448 3344

Sights

Bendigo Art Gallery

Bendigo's art gallery dates from 1887 and features a collection of local and national art.

Bendigo Joss House

This temple was built in the 1860s by Chinese miners and is regional Victoria's only surviving joss house.

Bendigo Tramways

Bendigo's talking trams run from the Central Deborah Goldmine along Pall Mall to the Bendigo Joss House stopping at major attractions along the way. They are known as talking trams because of the commentary explaining Bendigo's attractions. They operate hourly everyday.

Central Deborah Goldmine

Bendigo's last goldmine closed in 1954 and was re-opened for tourists in 1972. The Central Deborah Goldmine has been restored both above and below ground and is a great insight into how gold is mined.

Golden Dragon Museum

This museum, run by the Bendigo Chinese Association, has exhibits on Chinese culture in Bendigo from the 1850s to the present day. Exhibits include Sun Loong, the world's longest imperial dragon at more than 100 metres.

Daylesford-Hepburn Springs

These two former gold mining townships now comprise Australia's spa capital. Hepburn Springs is the main centre for mineral springs and is home to the historic spa building. Five kilometres away, Daylesford, the larger of the two townships, is the home to an unusually large number of grand old buildings considering the town's small size. The two townships are surrounded by Hepburn Regional Park that has many hiking trails to mineral springs and disused gold mines. The twin towns make a good stop if you're driving between Ballarat and Bendigo.

Practical Information

Daylesford Visitor Information Centre

Accommodation

Wildwood YHA

Tel (03) 5348 4435