Ballarat is a city renowned for its rich, gold history, Sturt Street cafes and lakeside picnic spots, and almost every Victorian has experienced at least one of these. Yet these assets are just the start of what the town has to offer, and thanks to a new travel guide, locals and visitors alike are rediscovering Ballarat.
Hidden Lanes is a self-guided walking tour that takes people on a journey along streets, through laneways and into tunnels to discover unique hidden gems of Ballarat’s landscape, history, food and art. It is the innovation of local couple Emma and Jarrod Hall, who decided it was time to share a new perspective on this old, gold town.
“So much of what people think of as Ballarat is not the best of what it has to offer. We have friends and family that think they know the town because they have driven through it, maybe stopping for coffee, but there is so much here that they know nothing about.”
Emma and Jarrod settled in Ballarat in 2018, after years of living abroad. It was through the lockdowns they decided to get out and explore the town, the way they did as travellers.
“When we’re overseas we go out and explore a place on foot. Because we want the full experience, we slow down and take our time to look around. We try to find where the locals eat, where they shop, and we try to buy locally made items.
“Hidden Lanes is about embracing that slow travel concept – stopping at places you wouldn’t normally go to and speaking to people you wouldn’t normally meet. We want to encourage people to be in the moment and discover some quirky little gems.”
The tour has been carefully planned as a walking, scooting or gentle bike riding trail that encompasses more than a dozen stops, including art galleries and eateries, and plenty of points of interest along the way.
In the Lost Ones Art Gallery, travellers can speak with local artists who use the space to work and display their creations.
A wander along Lydiard Street will have travellers discovering new cafés, old buildings, and picturesque streetscapes.
In Main Road, travellers are invited to explore vintage clothing, used books and antique stores, all housed inside some of Ballarat’s most well-preserved historic architecture; as well as learn about the infamous Lola Montez at the scene of her War of the Whip.
The guidebook even takes travellers into a section of Ballarat’s tunnel network, emphasising that the journey between destinations is just as entertaining as the various stop points.
Not surprisingly, in the few months since the guidebook was released, more than two thirds of the travellers have been locals.
“People love the quirky, unusual history that we’ve highlighted in the tour. They love being able to explore Ballarat in a different way and find places they hadn’t thought to go.
“It’s a tour that’s distinctly and uniquely Ballarat. It includes the lesser-known history, funky new cafés, and some old school classic places. The Savoy in the Bridge Mall has operated the same way for about 60 years, and people still love it.
“It’s an authentic Ballarat experience.”
Incorporated into the tour are history podcasts from Tales from Rat City, and the guidebook is filled with images that highlight some of Ballarat’s iconic street scapes, encouraging people to stop and view the town in a whole new way.
Of course, the best way to become immersed in the experience is to talk to the people.
“We have such passionate business owners, many of whom have taken the time to preserve the old building that they operate in, and they’ll tell you all about it if you ask. Their energy and enthusiasm for our town shines through, which really makes the travel experience memorable.”
The Hidden Lanes Slow Travel tour is designed for people of all ages. The food, art and culture have captured the younger generations, while the older generations enjoy the walk to see how things have changed from when they were young.
“It has such broad appeal, which is exactly what we were hoping for, and we’ve been so happy with the feedback.
“We just want people to try new things, learn, and discover this great town. We have so many more ideas for routes and places that couldn’t be included in this tour.
“We think the next one will be a bike tour – a casual ride around town that the whole family can do and includes the fantastic new path down Sturt Street. That vista, on an autumn day, is breathtaking. We want everyone to experience it.”
The Hidden Lanes Slow Travel guidebook can be purchased online, and is best experienced from Wednesday to Sunday, between 11am and 4pm to ensure all destination points are open. The tour takes between two and four hours to complete, depending on the speed of travel and time spent at each stop.
For more information, or to purchase the guidebook and begin your slow travel tour, visit the website or follow along on Instagram.
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