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Ballarat and Sovereign Hill Day Tour with Optional Wildlife Park from Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia
  • 9 hours (Approx.)
  • Hotel pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
Melbourne Tours
All Melbourne Tours
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Private and Luxury
Unique Experiences

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Overview

Feel the excitement of Australia’s gold rush with this full-day tour from Melbourne! Visit the former boomtown of Ballarat and travel back in time at Sovereign Hill, a realistic replica of a 1850s mining settlement. History comes to life as you pan for gold, meet characters in period costume and ride an old-fashioned stagecoach. Upgrade to include a visit to the Ballarat Wildlife Park, where you can meet and interact with native animals of the Australian bush, such as kangaroos, emus and Tasmanian devils.
  • Discover Ballarat and Sovereign Hill on this full-day tour from Melbourne
  • Step back in time to the 1850's to the re-created goldmining settlement of Sovereign Hill
  • Try your luck panning for gold
  • Visit the gold museum
  • See native animals at the Ballarat Wildlife Park (option to be selected at time of booking)
  • Plenty of photo opportunities
  • Informative and friendly guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

What's Included

  • Experienced local driver/guide
  • Live commentary on board
  • Super comfortable luxury vehicle including: free wifi, in seat USB and air conditioning
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
  • Entry to Sovereign Hill, an open air museum set in the 1850s!
  • Entry to Ballarat Wildlife Park (if option selected)
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities

Departure & Return

Departure Point

  • Tour departs from selected Melbourne hotels

    OR

    Federation Square

Departure Time

  • 8:20 AM

Return Details

  • Returns to original departure point at approximately 5:30pm

What To Expect

Trade in Melbourne’s modern metropolis for a 19th-century boomtown on this fun-filled day trip! After pickup at your Melbourne hotel or Federation Square (see Itinerary and Hotel Pickup tab for details), travel aboard a comfortable air-conditioned coach approximately 1.5 hours to the town of Ballarat. Learn how this sleepy settlement transformed into a bustling boomtown within a matter of months after the discovery of gold nearby in 1851. 

Journey back in time to this exciting chapter in Australian history as you arrive at Sovereign Hill. This ‘living museum’ built on the site of an original gold mine spans over 25 acres (10 hectares) and offers visitors the chance to experience life in 1850s mining camp. Try your luck at panning for gold, venture into a historic mine and learn more about the area’s history at an on-site museum.

Wander through the dusty streets past Victorian homes and stop in at old-fashioned shops like the apothecary, sweet shop or candle works, where you can meet proprietors dressed in period costume and purchase unique souvenirs. Watch craftsmen at work using traditional 19th-century methods with a visit to the blacksmith or coachbuilder’s workshop. Take a spin through town aboard a traditional stagecoach or dress up your family for an old-fashioned photo (both at own expense).

With an optional upgrade, visit the family-run Ballarat Wildlife Park to meet native Australian species including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, emus and Tasmanian devils. Learn more about these amazing creatures at a ranger-led show such as a crocodile feeding, eagle fight or koala encounter.
1

Sovereign Hill

Today you’ll step back in time to the era of the Victorian gold rush. Sit back and relax with entertainment introducing you to Sovereign Hill, a wonderful outdoor museum exhibiting in ‘real life’ the story of Australia’s gold rush history. You’ll be entertained by performances illustrating the exciting and colourful life on the gold fields • Visit some operational workshops and witness demonstrations of blacksmithing, wheelwrighting, gold pouring, candle making and many more.

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

2

Ballarat Wildlife Park

OPTIONAL: Visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park, where you’ll see a unique selection of wildlife in their natural habitats. You’ll see saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, Tasmanian Devils, kangaroos, koalas, echidnas and so many more. You can wander through the park taking in the many exhibits, join guided tours and participate in interactive shows. Feeding times can be a lot of fun – particularly with the crocs!

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
Operated by AAT Kings

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations

Traveler Photos

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Reviews
4.5
71 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers
Showing 1-10 of 71 reviews
Very good
Gunawan_A, Aug 2018
Very pleasent & good service, driver & arrangement, for next holiday we will apply through Viator service
I really enjoyed this excursion. The...
Connie C, Feb 2018
I really enjoyed this excursion. The Wildlife Park was fun kangaroos running around free. Quite an experience. My only regret was that we only got 20 minutes at the lake in Ballarat. It was beautiful there were gardens I would have liked to explore. Too much time at Sovereign Hill and not enough time seeing Ballarat. The gold museum was very interesting.
My husband and two BIL's did this...
Mario C, Apr 2017
My husband and two BIL's did this tour, all came back with a lot of knowledge and said it was amazing and all very happy. A bit overpriced as it didn't include lunch or even water.
The driver's dialogue throughout the...
Kenneth_B, Jan 2017
The driver's dialogue throughout the trip provided insight. Panning for gold should not be what interests you on this venture, as there really is nothing there at all. Originally I thought this would be great fun, but was sadly disappointed. This is self-guided and you need to be motivated to walk throughout the site. Candy-making was very interesting and tasty! The explanation of turning panned gold into gold bars was enlightening.
The day was fabulous from start to...
David A, Jan 2017
The day was fabulous from start to finish. Roger our driver was knowledgeable and entertaining.
hotel transfer went without any...
Jennifer L, Jan 2017
hotel transfer went without any hitches, taken down to Flinders Square to pick up our Tour , hats off to the co-ordinators shuffling many tourists with limited English onto the buses, you did your job with a smile and it showed you knew what you were doing. Once on the bus heading for Ballarat the bus driver was knowledgeable and the bus clean, and very comfortable. Ballarat tour around the town site was informative though personally I would have preferred to have ambled around this unique township for an hour or so. I declined the visit to the wildlife park and was delighted at Sovereign Hill and what it offers. Wandering around seeing all the different shops, of course you have to buy some boiled sweets, and taste the scones jam and cream. we watched the gold pouring and came home with our little bottle of gold shavings from panning for gold. would recommend this tour to anyone of all ages. a great day out thankyou
A great day and loved the authentic...
Susan_C, Oct 2016
A great day and loved the authentic features from trading, to light industry, to re-enactments, to real tools and brick a brace to the horse and coach ride to the red coats and their loud guns. A well honed real life experience of the past.
We had a lovely day out enjoyed...
PAULINE T, Apr 2016
We had a lovely day out enjoyed Sovereign Hill even managed to find gold
This unusual tour for Americans was...
Theresa E. R, Mar 2016
This unusual tour for Americans was quite good. My husband's great-great grandfather was a miner at Sovereign Hill where a major gold vein was found. He wanted to visit this recreated mining town. The residents wear period costumes from the 19th century and many ply the trades appropriate to the times such as gold smeltering, tinsmithing, bakers, dry goods, etc. There is also a candy making shop which specializes in lollies--a hard and variously flavored type of candy which is beloved by Australians. Since many of the miners were from Cornwall, England delicious pasties can be had for lunch from the bakery. Our driver/guide, Don, was knowledgeable about the area as we drove to and toured the city of Ballarat. Sovereign Hill is part of Ballarat. It is a pleasant town with some interesting Victorian arcitechture. At Sovereign Hill he left us to explore the area on our own until departure time. It was clear that Don enjoyed introducing tourists to this wonderful area. I should also add that Ballarat is a plot point in A. Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story The Bascombe Valley Mystery in case someone is a Sherlockian--another reason for our visit. We did not visit the wildlife park. Those who did were dropped off at the park and the rest of us went on to Ballarat. The park visitors were later picked up at the park and driven to Sovereign Hill for their visit. There is a theatre which at times has an impromptu performance on Main Street. British red coats also march down the street complete with a small drum corp. Muskets are fired off at the town square and horse drawn cart tours are also available. Demonstrations of gold smeltering are given throughout the day. There is also a gold mining encampment that can be seen. Tours of a real gold mine are also offered. My husband who took the tour thoroughly enjoyed it and said that it was also very informative.
Great tour . Glad I skipped the...
Corita Biddy A, Mar 2016
Great tour . Glad I skipped the Wildlife Park as there was more than enough to see and do at Sovereign Hill to occupy the day. Particularly appreciated the driver sharing his knowledge about the Aboriginal history of the country we were travelling in. One small suggestion - would like to have had more information about the history of the site of the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat.
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Product code: 2230M3

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