Prior to my most recent visit, the only thing that really came to mind when someone mentioned Ballarat was gold and Sovereign Hill thanks to several school excursions in primary school and early high school. But as I recently discovered, there’s definitely much more to region, with plenty to do and plenty to eat and drink.

My visit took place a few months ago courtesy of Visit Ballarat, during Ballarat’s inaugural annual food festival Plate Up Ballarat. The festival spanned the entire month of May with several events showcasing the produce of local growers and producers in the region, serving up the best of Ballarat. We arrived on a Friday afternoon, checking into The George Hotel before kicking off our weekend of Ballarat adventures. See below for snaps of our weekend getaway with some additional blog posts covering the food in more detail to come. Enjoy!

itinerary

Friday:

• Lunch at Mitchell Harris Wines

• Explore the historic streets of Ballarat i.e. Lydiard St

• Stroll around Wendouree Lake

• Dinner at Moon and Mountain; blog post here

Saturday:

• Breakfast at Yellow Espresso

• Drive to Creswick (20-30 minute drive from Ballarat)

• Visit Creswick Woollen Mills; see alpacas and other farm animals

• Lunch at Captains Creek Winery

• Attend Plate Up Ballarat’s An Afternoon on the Balcony at The George Hotel

• Visit the Art Gallery of Ballarat

• Dinner at Freight Bar and Restaurant

Sunday:

• Breakfast at Webster’s Market and Cafe

• Stroll around Ballarat Botanical Gardens

art gallery of ballarat

lake wendouree

ballarat botanical gardens

creswick woollen mills

THe food

Disclosure: I stayed at The George Hotel, dined at Moon Under Water and Yellow Espresso, and attended An Afternoon on the Balcony courtesy of Visit Ballarat and Plate Up Ballarat. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.