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Sovereign Hill acknowledges the Wadawurrung people as the Traditional custodians of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and to all of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live and work on Wadawurrung Country. We acknowledge their unceded sovereignty over Wadawurrung Country, and the ongoing hardship and trauma as a result of colonisation. The history and continuous culture of the Wadawurrung people is an important part of our shared story.

Australian Flags

Gold Panning

Tuesday to Sunday: 10am – 5pm Monday: Open for pre-booked school groups only (no general admission)Open every day during the Victorian school holidays 20 September - 5 OctoberGold Rush Centre &amp; Rare Trades Centre: Open for pre-booked workshops &amp; tours only

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Wizard and Goblin Theatre

Wizard Jacobs is bringing their Magic Show to the Victoria Theatre.

Wizard Jacobs Magic Show

Candle Dipping

Adult: $69.50 | Concession $56.50 | Child (5 - 15 years): $35.50

Locals Pass

Makers Series

Get hands-on and craft your own leather key ring.

School holidays, weekends and public holidays only. 10am-4:30pm

Rebellion Pass Header

Step off the beaten track on a VIP experience for those who dare to do things differently.

School holidays, weekends and public holidays only.

VIP Rebellion Pass

Back to school

School's back - just not the way you remember!

Back to School

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Meet Loong, the oldest processional dragon in Australia and discover other hidden gems.

Chinese Cultural Collection Tour

Gold Rush Collection 90

Get up close with treasures from the fashion and textiles collection rarely seen by the public.

Fashion Collection Tour

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From rebels to elders, discover the people and stories that define Ballarat and beyond.

Treasures from the Collection Tour

BIFB 2025 Hero image

Special Ballarat International Foto Biennale exhibition

Handmade Urban Environments

Spring Hero

Spring’s the season for adventure at Sovereign Hill — pan for gold, meet the animals, wander the streets, and share moments that turn into family stories.

Spring School Holidays 2025

ACGRC Weston Bate Eliza Perrin

Curator and historian Laura Jocic presents 'Women and Dress in Rural Australia, 1840s-1860s'.

$20 Adult | $15 Concession | $5 Streaming | Tickets available at the door.

Weston Bate Memorial Lecture

Tales from the Courts: The Chinese Australian community in Ballarat 1860-1890 

Dr Sophie Loy-Wilson 

When gold was discovered in Victoria people flocked to the goldfields of Ballarat from across the world. Amongst those arriving were thousands of 
Chinese migrants. In this year’s Weston Bate lecture Sophie Loy-Wilson explores the rich history of Ballarat’s Chinese community revealed through court 
cases heard on the goldfields. 

With their long lists of witnesses, detailed maps and well-preserved deposition testimony, she will share how these cases allow us to rebuild old Ballarat 
from the bottom up, exposing the intricate cross-cultural relationships which bound Ballarat’s multi-ethic communities together from the 1860s to the turn-
of-the century. 

About the Speaker: 
Sophie Loy-Wilson is Senior Lecturer in Australian History at the University of Sydney where she specializes in the history of the Chinese Australian 
community. Her published books include Australians in Shanghai: Race, Rights and Nation in Treaty Port China and Labour History and the "coolie 
question". She is currently completing a book based on her research into Chinese Australians in the Australian legal record.

ACGRC History Matters Halloween

Delve into a spine-chilling talk of ghostly tales from the gold rush with Dr David Waldron.

Ghosts of the Goldfields

Join Dr. David Waldron for a spine-chilling exploration of ghostly tales from Victoria’s goldrush era. Drawing on his extensive research, Dr. Waldron will 
uncover how ghost stories emerged as a cultural response to trauma, blending history, folklore, and the eerie tradition of ‘playing the ghost.’ From the 
haunted halls of the Ararat Lunatic Asylum to Ballarat’s spectral legends, discover the strange and supernatural world of 19th-century Australia.

Dr David Waldron is an Associate Professor of History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is 
the author of “Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival” (Carolina Academic Press 2008), “Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study 
in Local Folklore” (Hidden Press 2010) and “Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore” (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013), 
editor/contributor of “Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore” (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of “Aradale: the 
Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020).  He is regularly involved in public engagements, festivals, and multi-media displays, 
including the Ballarat Heritage Festival, and is the co-writer and researcher for the 2019 National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award and 2023 
Victorian Community History Award-winning podcast series “Tales from Rat City”.  He is also the winner of 2024’s Jane Hansen Award for History 
Advocacy from the History Council of Victoria.

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Our event calendar features all current and upcoming Sovereign Hill events. Filter by category or choose a date to see what's on that day.