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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.

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Gold Panning

Regular Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm | Mondays: Pre-booked school groups only.Gold Rush Centre &amp; Rare Trades Centre: Open for pre-booked workshops &amp; tours only.

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SH AURA GP THEATRE

From a place you know comes a story you don’t — AURA explores the creation, discovery and impact of gold, the precious metal then and now.

Available 5 nights a week (subject to availability) | 7 nights a week during Victorian School Holidays

Purchase separate tickets using the link below.

AURA

AURA is an immersive 90-minute theatre experience using amazing projection technology, that follows gold from its creation through to its 
colonial discovery, right up until the current day. 

 Visitors will be taken through three different theatres to explore the science of gold, the local Wadawurrung link to gold, and the impact of the gold 
rush on our town and the present day. This includes the stories of Bunjil and the Eureka Rebellion, among others. 
 
 Transporters are used to move betweent the theatres, partly outdoors as well as indoors. Short distances of walking are required. 
 
 Arrive at least 15 minutes before your show time to check in and be seated in the first theatre. 
 
 Please note that Aura is a completely separate experience to the Winter Wonderlights school holiday special program.

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

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

Chinese Cultural Collection Tour

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A series of spoken word events is produced by thinkers and creatives.

Gold Rush Collections Centre - 383 – 389 Bradshaw Street, Ballarat VIC 3350

Pecha Kucha Series

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 Gold Dress

One-day intensive workshop exploring 300 years of European and Australian women’s fashion.

300 Years of Women's Fashion

Join dress and material culture historian Dr Sarah Bendall and museum experts at Sovereign Hill for this exciting 1-day intensive exploring the story of 300 
hundred years of European and Australian women’s fashions.

ACGRC History Matters Halloween

Delve into a spine-chilling exploration of ghostly tales from Victoria’s gold rush era in a special talk by 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.

Collection Items

Uncover the raw, rebellious spirit of the Eureka Stockade and the people and objects that shaped history

$35 Adult $28 Concession (complimentary drink available). Bookings essential

Eureka Collection Curator's Tour

Come behind the scenes and uncover the story of Eureka through the objects in our collection. 
 
Hosted by our Head of Collections and Curatorial, this unique once off tour invites you to see objects up close and hear the stories of the people and 
events connected to this transformational moment in 
Australia’s history. 
 
Following the tour we invite you for a complimentary drink and further discussion.
This is a walking tour through our collection stores. Due to the nature of the environment no belongings will be allowed on the tour. Secure storage will 
be provided.

Sov Hill 01732

12 months entry plus great discounts, all for less than the price of three visits.

Annual Pass

Summer Gold Panning Friends

Your everyday tickets outside our special events.

Standard Tickets

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Step into the glow and experience a glittering wonderland!

Winter Wonderlights 2025

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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

Candle Dipping

Exclusively for Ballarat locals. Buy a ticket to Winter Wonderlights and unlock unlimited visits all year long.

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

Locals Pass

Start your journey below by selecting your ticket type. You’ll be directed to our booking system to select a date for your adventure. We recommend everyone pre-book online, including babies, to secure you spot and avoid disappointment.

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Start your journey below by selecting your ticket type. You’ll be directed to our booking system to select a date for your adventure. We recommend…

Tickets

Standard Tickets

$52.50

Winter Wonderlights 2025

$69.50

VIP Rebellion Pass

$102.50

Locals Pass

$69.50

AURA

$45.00

Fashion Collection Tour

$25.00

Treasures from the Collection Tour

$25.00

Chinese Cultural Collection Tour

$25.00

Pecha Kucha Series

$10.00

Weston Bate Memorial Lecture

$20.00

300 Years of Women's Fashion

$200.00

Ghosts of the Goldfields

$10.00

Eureka Collection Curator's Tour

$35.00

Annual Pass

$125.00