Sovereign Hill
Details
Hours: 10am - 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. (Closed Christmas Day)
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.
Map & Directions
Bradshaw St, Golden Point VIC 3350, Australia
Cancellation Policy
Operating Hours
Sovereign Hill is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Sovereign Hill is closed to visitors on Christmas Day and every Monday.
Location
Sovereign Hill is a comfortable 90 minute drive from the Melbourne CBD along the Western Highway (or only an hour from Melbourne Airport). Sovereign Hill is located on Bradshaw Street, Ballarat.
Additional Information
General Admission tickets are NOT valid during the annual Winter Wonderlights event.
Refer to our FAQs for more details - https://sovereignhill.com.au/faqs