Hotel Review: The Provincial, Ballarat

Imogen Eveson Imogen Eveson
hero media
Does Ballarat’s newest boutique hotel measure up to the city’s buzzing arts and dining scene? We check in to find out.

“Have you stayed here before?" The receptionist asks sweetly when my partner and I check in. We tell her no, and she tells us we’re in for a treat.

Details

The Provincial Hotel
121 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Vic

First Impressions

The Provincial Hotel has only been open for three months or so when we rock up on an autumn evening, and there’s a buzz in the air that reflects the buzz on the street in Ballarat right now; this new boutique accommodation feels like the perfect complement to the recent crop of culinary and arts offerings that is securing the old gold town’s reputation as the perfect spot for a weekend away.

 

It’s centrally located on Lydiard Street and opposite the railway station – the height of convenience should you be rolling in from Melbourne by train.

 

I’m a sucker for a heritage building and this one, built in 1909 and listed by the National Trust for its expressive Art Nouveau facade, had me at its domed turrets. But a new story has been written inside by owners Simon and Gorgi Coghlan and business partner Drew Harry. They’ve created a stylish and serene space that, in true Ballarat style, takes design cues from contemporary trends while staying sympathetic to the building’s old bones.

The Provincial Ballarat
Blue and ivory interiors are seen throughout

The lobby

A blue-and-ivory colour palette is employed throughout its common spaces and most guest rooms, built up in layers of subtly contrasting patterns; each area we move through presents its own lovely vignette.

 

Reaching the first floor landing en route to our suite (one of 23 across the boutique hotel and its corporate wing), for example, I take in the colourful and geometric art of Buninyong artist Robyn Batrouney. It plays off against the illustrative Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper it’s mounted on and the sinuous stained-glass window in the stairwell opposite. Our Lola Deluxe is, pleasingly, more of the same: a riff on texture and colour.

The Provincial Ballarat
A pallette of blue and ivory runs throughout the hotel

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

The room

The styling throughout the bedroom and separate living area echoes Cabarita Beach’s Halcyon House and London and New York’s Firmdale Hotels: a big, bold bedhead is plumped up with plush cushions; antique furniture is met with modern upholstery; vintage and modern prints in mismatched frames are juxtaposed against each other. And there’s Aesop in the bathroom, which is always a good sign.

 

We’re greeted with a welcome note and a bottle of local wine and even though I was anticipating this – part of the deal when you book directly through the website – it still feels like a nice surprise. A ‘Provincial Hotel Passport’ offers further welcome and a list of recommendations on where to eat, drink and play nearby as well as further afield.

The Provincial Ballarat
Expect a big, bold bed head
The Provincial Ballarat
Light-filled bedrooms are a delight to see

The food

After a long drive from Sydney we opt for a low-key pub meal down the road rather than dining at elegant in-house restaurant Lola (named after the exotic dancer and actress Lola Montez, who caused a sensation when she visited the Goldfields in the 1850s), but make a beeline for breakfast there in the morning.

 

Head chef Shaun Thomson has worked alongside the likes of Peter Gilmore, Neil Perry and Peter Kuruvita, and his menu celebrates Ballarat-region produce at any time of day.

 

We settle into a navy-leather banquette in the bright, sunny dining room, where the colour palette and style notes carry through. My Aussie classic of poached eggs and avo on toast with local Meredith feta is done just right; as is my St Ali coffee. Our stay here at the Provincial has indeed been a treat – as promised.

Provincial Ballarat
A dish of wild rabbit raviolo at Lola

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

The AT verdict

It’s no surprise The Provincial Hotel recently won Best Boutique Style Accommodation at the Tourism Accommodation Australia (Victoria) awards: this is the ideal crash pad for a cultural weekender in Ballarat.

Score

4/5

We rated

The attention to detail: from the passionate staff to the thoughtful notes and beautifully executed styling throughout. Seemingly five minutes from everything, its location too is ideal for exploring this very walkable city by foot.

We’d change

We watched a film on the room’s Apple TV (another nice touch) but couldn’t quite get comfy on the couch!

 

All AT reviews are conducted anonymously and our writers pay their own way – so we experience exactly what you would.

Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?

  1. Click here to set Australian Traveller as a preferred source.
  2. Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Imogen Eveson
Imogen Eveson is Australian Traveller’s Print Editor. She was named Editor of the Year at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and in 2023, was awarded the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) Australia’s Media Award. Before joining Australian Traveller Media as sub-editor in 2017, Imogen wrote for publications including Broadsheet, Russh and SilverKris. She launched her career in London, where she graduated with a BA Hons degree in fashion communication from world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins. She is the author/designer of The Wapping Project on Paper, published by Black Dog Publishing in 2014. Growing up in Glastonbury, home to the largest music and performing arts festival in the world, instilled in Imogen a passion for cultural cross-pollination that finds perfect expression today in shaping Australia’s leading travel titles. Imogen regularly appears as a guest on radio travel segments, including ABC National Nightlife, and is invited to attend global travel expos such as IMM, ILTM, Further East and We Are Africa.
View profile and articles
A blue swathed room at Hotel Vera
Ballarat

18 of the best Ballarat accommodations for every holiday style

Delivering a mixed bag of heritage builds, swish contemporary design, quaint country retreats and more, the best Ballarat accommodation caters to every adventure.

Read more
hero media

The road trips and trails you need to experience in Victoria now

    Kellie Floyd Kellie Floyd
    Continue
    Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow. 

    There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.  

    Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur, is one of my favourite road trips. 

    The Black Spur 

    The Black Spur drive
    Through the forested canopy of The Black Spur drive that winds from Healesville to Narbethong. (Image: Neisha Breen)

    Location: Yarra Ranges
    Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes 

    The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.  

    In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn, a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.   

    Victoria’s Silo Art Trail 

    Silo Art Trail
    The Silo Art Trail in the Wimmera Mallee region. (Image: Visit Victoria/Anne Morely)

    Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
    Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days  

    What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.  

    The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud, making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.   

    Metung to Mallacoota  

    Gippsland lakes
    Gippsland Lakes. (Image: Visit Victoria/Josie Withers)

    Location: Gippsland
    Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours  

    The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance, where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch. 

    Lakes Entrance
    Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

    Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea. 

    Great Ocean Road 

    12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road
    The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

    Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
    Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days  

    Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.  

    Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast. 

    Bellarine Taste Trail 

    Terindah Estate
    Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Location: Bellarine Peninsula
    Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours  

    The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.  

    You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate, sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours. 

    O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote 

    Pink Cliffs Reserve
    Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Location: Central Victoria
    Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling 

    Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail. The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.  

    The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular. 

    Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo 

    Location: Central Victoria
    Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling  

    The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.  

    As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.