Top Towns for 2022: The ever-changing town of Ballarat

By Imogen Eveson
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A boom town of the Victorian goldrush era and today one of Victoria’s fast-growing regional cities, Ballarat continues to bloom featuring at no.24 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns.

Find the complete list of the Top 50 Aussie Towns here.

A 75-minute drive west of Melbourne, Ballarat was voted Victoria’s top tourism town in 2021 and is recognised as a UNESCO creative city. Its rich culture of artisans and dynamic culinary offerings tucked into reinvented goldrush buildings is a winning formula for a long weekend of wining, dining and soaking in the new wave of creativity that taps into the city’s past.

Heritage building in Ballarat.

Ballarat’s CBD is characterised by its grand goldrush buildings. (Image: Tara Moore)

A place in constant evolution, newcomers on the scene include pop-up restaurant Peasant, open Friday and Saturday evenings for just a few diners at a time in Ballarat’s historic Bank of New South Wales, and serving a five-course degustation of rustic European fare.

Food at Peasant Ballarat

Eat rustic fare at Peasant.

Meanwhile chef Derek Boath’s Underbar, Ballarat’s destination restaurant since it opened in 2016, is relocating to brand-new boutique digs at Hotel Vera (sister property to Bendigo’s Hotel Ernest).

And in the CBD spot it has vacated, Boath and sommelier Anthony Schuurs have created a sharp and fun urban wine bar, Pencilmark Wine Room, where an ever-changing roster of global drops are matched with fresh regional produce.

Browsing the bottles at Pencilmark Wine Room in Ballarat

Browse the bottles at Pencilmark Wine Room. (Image: Thom Mitchell)

Further emphasising Ballarat’s ongoing revitalisation, a major development and refurbishment of an 1863 heritage-listed bluestone building adjacent to the Ballarat railway station was unveiled at the start of 2022.

The Goods Shed now acts as a social, cultural and hospitality hub; its most recent additions include a gin distillery, Little Lon Distilling Co, an all-day dining outpost, a dumpling house and Quest Ballarat Station, an of-its-place hotel to complete the ‘eat, play, stay’ experience.

Exterior drone shot of The Goods Shed in Ballarat

The Goods Shed signals the Victorian city’s ongoing revitalisation.

Time your visit for the spring-summer season of artisan producer experiences, Made of: Ballarat. Picks of the bunch include the Secret Life of Bees with Backyard Beekeeping Ballarat, which runs on selected dates from October to February and will take you on a hands-on journey through a working honey beehive in the heart of the city.

Or take a trip 20 minutes out of town to Buninyong on Wadawurrung Country to embark on an Australian bushfoods adventure with Saltbush Kitchen. Also in late spring, the Australian Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades will open to offer workshops and masterclasses to those looking to learn everything from woodcarving and locksmithing to armoury and leatherwork.

Street art in Ballarat

You’ll find pockets of creativity everywhere around town. (Image: Tara Moore)

Explore more of Ballarat in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.
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.
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Ballarat‘s iconic pie competition has a winner & it’s a cookie dream

    By Kassia Byrnes
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    Roll up to Ballarat this August to taste one of the best pies in Australia.

    There are very few things Australians can agree on when it comes to food. Is it a potato scallop or a potato cake? A parmi, or a parma? Was the pavlova invented here or in New Zealand? Is the Shortbread Cream the best biccie to exist, or is it some other, lesser biscuit? Yet, what we can all agree on is the fact that the humble pie is an elite Aussie staple. Of course, then we can all continue to fight about which pie is best – or we can save face and head to Ballarat’s Best Pie competition to find out.

    Feral Pie at The Shared Table

    Taste the award-winning Feral Pie at The Shared Table. (Image: littleBIG)

    Every August, this beloved competition turns the city of Ballarat into a pie haven for the whole month. The competition pits 36 pies against each other for the winning title, from local chefs, restaurants, cafes and venues. And no, they’re not all beef. From savoury to sweet, everyone will have a favourite.

    “Whether it’s a pie with purpose or one that pushes the flavour boundaries, this event is all about celebrating our local producers, chefs and hospitality operators – and giving people a delicious reason to visit Ballarat this August,” said Hon. John Pandazopoulos, Tourism Midwest Victoria Chair.

    This year, winners were chosen in seven categories (because one just isn’t enough), with three brand new ones: Brilliantly Unexpected Pie, Pie with Purpose (rewarding a low-waste or local-produce approach) and People’s Choice Pie (with the public voting for their favourite).

    creator holding Mrs Browne Bakes’ raspberry goldfields cookie pie at Naomi & i

    Mrs Browne Bakes’ won for her dessert pie entry. (Image: littleBIG)

    This year’s full list of winners, for your planning pleasure (taste them all month by following the Ballarat Pie Trail (maps available from the Ballarat Information Centre, or downloaded from the city’s website):

    • Ballarat’s Best Pie grand prize winner: Mrs Browne Bakes’ raspberry goldfields cookie pie
      at Naomi & i
    • Best Savoury Pie: Lechon paksiw pie at Hotel Canberra’s Stables Cafe & Bar
    • Best Sweet Pie: Mrs Browne Bakes’ raspberry goldfields cookie pie at Naomi & i
    • Best Bakery Pie: Beef rendang pie at Turret Bakehouse
    • Brilliantly Unexpected Pie: Lechon paksiw pie at Hotel Canberra’s Stables Cafe & Bar
    • Pie with Purpose: Feral Pie at The Shared Table
    Beef rendang pie at Turret Bakehouse

    Beef rendang pie at Turret Bakehouse won Best Bakery Pie. (Image: littleBIG)

    While in Ballarat, discover the city’s old world charm with these 15 things to do, and book into our top picks of accommodation options.