12 epic Ballarat pubs and bars to quench your thirst

Stylish cocktail bars, independent breweries, otherworldly speakeasies, stalwart gastropubs – the best Ballarat pubs and bars are all-too inviting.

A storied city with glorious heritage buildings and a burgeoning cafe culture to boot, Ballarat often tops Melburnians’ weekend getaway hitlists. But there’s plenty more to this former gold rush town, particularly when it comes to finding a great spot for a tipple. Add these Ballarat bars and pubs to your next itinerary to ensure you tick off the hottest spots.

1. Ellington’s Wine Bar & Rooftop

You may stumble across it in search of top-shelf vino to devour while on tour, but Ellington’s Wine Bar & Rooftop is so much more than a bottle shop. A divine neighbourhood wine bar in the heart of the city, the Ballarat bar is an old hand at unearthing some of the most delectable local and international drops. Inspired by the irresistible hole in the walls of Europe, the space is moody downstairs as candles flicker and rich timbers evoke warmth. Upstairs, views across the street cement an easy, breezy vibe that’ll keep you topping up those glasses again and again. A menu of masterfully crafted dishes made from seasonal ingredients — think pâté, cheese plates and a produce plate full of olives, meats and pickled vegetables sourced locally — is also ready to be devoured.

Address: 405A Sturt St, Ballarat

2. Itinerant Spirits

alfresco drinking spot at Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat — Sit at one of the al fresco tables and imbibe premium liquors. (Credit: Itinerant Spirits)

A striking dark brick facade amongst the Goods Shed events space houses the wonderful Itinerant Spirits , an outstanding Victorian distillery knocking up the likes of Gallivanter Wild Botanical Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Vansetter Coffee Liqueur — three standout creations found in good liquor stores nation-wide. Sample the deliciousness straight from the source inside this sophisticated space, which nails crafty cocktails in addition to its core spirits range. Additionally, there’s a menu of pizza, charcuterie and other share plates including shoestring fries and heirloom tomatoes with stracciatella. Got little ones tagging along? A dedicated kids’ menu will sort them out, too.

Address: Inside The Goods Shed, 200 Lydiard St North, Ballarat

3. Sip Champagne Bar

holding two glasses of cocktail at Sip Champagne Bar, Ballarat — Sip your way through the extensive cocktail menu at Sip Champagne Bar. (Credit: Edwina Willox)

Paying homage to Paris’ famed bohemian bar scene, Sip Champagne Bar is a wonderful spot to toast your next Ballarat escape. Art Deco-influenced and boasting an all-important ‘Fancy Pants’ champagne menu filled with the fizzling bubbles of your dreams (Taittinger, Moet, Veuve, Bollinger, Pol Roger — the gang’s all here), the Ballarat bar is the place to go if you’ve got something to celebrate. Wash down your decadence with caviar bumps, oysters, dips, dumplings and other share dishes. Plus, if you’re not a fan of champagne, rest assured the extensive cocktail and wine menu will sort you out.

Address: 428A Sturt St, Ballarat

4. Grainery Lane

clinking cocktail glasses at Grainery Lane, Ballarat — Cheers to flavoured gin tipples at Grainery Lane. (Credit: The Common Wanderer)

Nestled in the thick of one of Ballarat’s main strips, Grainery Lane is a drama-filled distillery and cocktail bar you won’t forget. Step through the dark wood facade and into another era, dotted with chandeliers and roaring 1920s-inspired furnishings, as prohibition speakeasy vibes completely transport you. Sample the team’s house spirits, including eight flavoured gins, with your favourite mixers, or dive right into the cocktail menu to experience further creativity. Food-wise, there’s a surprisingly long list of internationally inspired dishes including curries, plus much smaller bites.

Address: 35 Armstrong St North, Ballarat

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5. Roy Hammond

burgers and a glass of cocktail at Roy Hammond, Ballarat — Pair Asian-inspired plates with a refreshing beverage. (Credit: Roy Hammond)

Just a few doors down from Grainery Lane lies Roy Hammond , an equally alluring spot to sample a tipple or two while visiting beautiful Ballarat. While the vibe is warm and friendly, it’s the glowing procession of liquor bottles standing behind the bar that’ll rope you in. Stacked six rows high, the selection is outstanding and stretches all the way from the grassy fields of Scotland (this Ballarat bar’s whiskey game is strong) to the canteens of Mexico where mezcal soars. A tight edit of Asian-inspired plates ensures there’s really no reason to leave anytime soon.

Address: 24-28 Armstrong St North, Ballarat

6. Renard

a look inside Renard cocktail bar in Ballarat — Sink into one of the cosy forest-green velvet banquettes at Renard. (Credit: Lachlan Phyland at MediaProvided)

A super sleek spot that wouldn’t feel out of place in Melbourne’s inner north, Renard is a must-visit while you’re touring Ballarat’s best. Pull up a pew at the terrazzo bar counter or sink into one of the cosy forest-green velvet banquettes, below whitewashed brick walls. A self-proclaimed ‘cocktail bar & social club’, Renard is, quite frankly, a go-to for any occasion, however big or small. Almost every cocktail on the menu features a splash of native ingredients, from Davidson plum gin to river mint syrup, wattleseed and macadamia liqueur, or anise myrtle. While you’re there, snack on some continental-inspired small plates (mussels in Spanish sauce, a revolving door of house made terrines or Meredith Dairy goat’s cheese doughnuts drizzled with truffled honey, perhaps?) and maybe throw in a larger dish (let’s say the 250-gram porterhouse steak with red wine jus) for good measure.

Address: 209 Mair St, Ballarat

7. Hop Temple

A cavernous, industrial-chic ode to frothy creativity, this Ballarat brewery has the largest range of craft beer and cider in all of Victoria, with more than 220 brews available either on tap or by the bottle. Set in a converted stables and hidden down a laneway adorned with a canopy of umbrellas and string lights, Hop Temple has plenty of personality: bicycles hang from the ceiling, a cluster of antique doors makes for a feature wall, an indoor trellis is draped with greenery, and murals dot its exterior. Order a handful of comfort food (we’re talking ‘hopcorn’ chicken, mac and cheese, fried chicken burgers, tacos and more) before settling in with one of the 17 beer blends served on tap at any given time.

Address: 24 Armstrong St North, Ballarat

8. The Crypt

crafting cocktails at The Crypt, Ballarat — The Crypt shakes up killer cocktails from more than 600 superb internationally sourced spirits.

A completely fabulous gothic bar found inside the space that once housed The 18th Amendment Bar, The Crypt shakes up killer cocktails from more than 600 superb internationally sourced spirits. Some will smoke, others will shimmer, but no matter what you order, you can expect something truly special. A backlit bar and Chesterfield sofas remain from the previous fit out, but there’s now a rotating roster of events to get stuck into, including spooky games nights, cocktail classes and live music spanning all genres.

Address: 14 Camp St, Ballarat

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9. Aunty Jacks

Hankering for a fuss-free cold one? The team at this Ballarat brewery, led by Peter Aldred who is widely considered a doctor of beer, know what’s up. Aunty Jacks consistently offers a stellar line-up of unfiltered lagers, pale ales, and IPAs. Curious drinkers thirsty for more knowledge of the brewing process can sign up for a brewery tour or beer education class. There’s also plenty of indulgent foods on the menu here, including pizzas, fried chicken burgers and loaded fries with chipotle chicken, avocado and sour cream.

Address: 315-317 Mair St, Ballarat

10. Piano Bar Ballarat

two glasses of cocktails at Piano Bar Ballarat — Step into the soulful ambiance of Piano Bar Ballarat. (Credit: Peter Foster)

Get those pipes thoroughly lubricated at Piano Bar Ballarat —its unique sing-a-longs will demand serious enthusiasm. Attracting a mix of locals and out-of-towners, the Ballarat institution stages regular events including Drag Bingo, bottomless brunch and, of course, piano by request every Friday and Saturday. Drink-wise, there’s an extensive wine, beer and spirits menu to peruse, plus cocktails. Meanwhile, locally sourced produce is transformed into sharable dishes to sufficiently line tummies for the night ahead.

Address: 31 Sturt St, Ballarat

11. Royal Hotel

Though it’s not strictly in Ballarat, but rather a 20-minute drive down the road, The Royal Hotel Snake Valley still more than merits mention. A character-filled old country pub, this roadhouse has a beer garden for hot summer’s days, and a dining room with an open fire for escaping winter’s chill. Sit down for a filling pub meal and gaze around at all the knick-knacks, trophies and photos that line the walls while enjoying a crisp pint of Carlton Draught.

Address: 886 Linton-Carngham Rd, Snake Valley

12. Royal Oak Hotel

the bar counter at Royal Oak Hotel — Crack open a can of craft beer at this old-fashioned pub. (Credit: Royal Oak Hotel)

When only a good old-fashioned pub will do, make a beeline for this great all-rounder and local’s favourite dating back to 1866. The Royal Oak Hotel , a dog-friendly establishment, has made a name for itself based on the friendly service, solid food options (pub classics like fish and chips, burgers and 10 individual Parma varieties, for example), convivial atmosphere and an ample selection of beers on tap.

Address: 402 South St, Ballarat

Originally written by Chloe Cann with updates by Kristie Lau-Adams

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Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

12 epic Ballarat pubs and bars to quench your thirst

Stylish cocktail bars, independent breweries, otherworldly speakeasies, stalwart gastropubs – the best Ballarat pubs and bars are all-too inviting.

1. Ellington’s Wine Bar & Rooftop

2. Itinerant Spirits

3. Sip Champagne Bar

4. Grainery Lane

5. Roy Hammond

6. Renard

7. Hop Temple

8. The Crypt

9. Aunty Jacks

10. Piano Bar Ballarat

11. Royal Hotel

12. Royal Oak Hotel

This surprising city has dethroned Adelaide as Australia’s happiest

Meet the makers shaping Ballarat’s new era of creativity

Two immersive art experiences are coming to this Vic town in spring

Ballarat‘s iconic pie competition has a winner & it’s a cookie dream

Inside Geelong’s glow-up from factory town to creative capital

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

The rise of a food and wine destination

Breathing new life into historic spaces

Stylish cocktail bars, independent breweries, otherworldly speakeasies, stalwart gastropubs – the best Ballarat pubs and bars are all-too inviting.

1. Ellington’s Wine Bar & Rooftop

2. Itinerant Spirits

3. Sip Champagne Bar

4. Grainery Lane

AI Prompt

5. Roy Hammond

6. Renard

7. Hop Temple

8. The Crypt

9. Aunty Jacks

10. Piano Bar Ballarat

11. Royal Hotel

12. Royal Oak Hotel

This surprising city has dethroned Adelaide as Australia’s happiest

Meet the makers shaping Ballarat’s new era of creativity

Two immersive art experiences are coming to this Vic town in spring

Ballarat‘s iconic pie competition has a winner & it’s a cookie dream

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

The rise of a food and wine destination

Breathing new life into historic spaces