Ballarat Eating and Sleeping

Ballarat is a city of around 90,000 people about 100 kilometres from Melbourne. In the past the accommodation options were limited to a few reasonable hotels, a good variety of motels and some budget properties. In the past two years this has changed with the opening of some up-market properties in heritage buildings. I found them excellent.

Two properties that are making their mark are almost side by side in the central city. Craig’s Royal Hotel is a Victorian-style property which is an imposing reminder of the city’s former gold rush prosperity. It has an opulent interior replete with antiques and plush furnishings. This comes with friendly service and 4-5 star modern luxuries.

The 4.5 star Ansonia is virtually next door and this also has a classic 1860s façade which belies its relaxed, spacious and contemporary interior. I didn’t stay here but we visited one evening to indulge at Tozer’s at the Ansonia, Ballarat’s finest restaurant. We had an outstanding meal and I would love to go back for more.

The third hotel I sampled was Oscar’s Hotel and Café Bar. While the accommodation is good, it is not quite in the same class as the other two, however, the café-bar is a delight. This is a place I could happily eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and finish up with a cocktail late at night.

One lunchtime, we went to the Phoenix Brewery. Rather than a brewery, we found a fresh metro bar-style restaurant with a happy atmosphere and modern Australian menu. The blackboard menu was quite extensive and the food was excellent.

Ballarat has changed dramatically since I last visited 12 years ago. The eating and accommodation options have become much wider and more interesting and the concentration on local produce and wines is very commendable. Clearly the city is embracing new tastes as skilful chef’s work magic with local produce and the local wines keep winning medals.

I met passionate people devoted to dining, a chic café culture comparable to many big city alternatives and a concentration on slow food, organic food and modern regional cuisine. Combine this with luxurious accommodation and historic streetscapes to die for and Ballarat is a very good destination for almost everyone.

Quick Tips:

Long ripening periods and low fruit yields combine to produce local earthy, fruity flavoured wines and as a result Ballarat is fast developing a reputation for cool climate chardonnay and complex subtly fragrant pinot noirs.

Every weekend, locals and visitors stock up on local offerings at one of the farmer’s markets in nearby towns like Clunes, Talbot and Buninyong.

Ballarat has grand legacies from the 1850s gold rush which can be admired while you search for great eating and accommodation options. You can dine and stay in imposing historic buildings but don’t ignore the surrounding streetscapes that are really world class.

Two good dining options that I don’t cover in this journal are the stylish Café Companis in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery and the Boatshed restaurant at Lake Wendouree. Both are suitable for coffee, a nice dessert or more.

Best Way To Get Around:

The four hotels and restaurants I cover here are all within walking distance of each other. They are all within the central business district of the city and are within easy walking distance of the railway station if you are coming from Melbourne by train.

Many of Ballarat’s attractions are also in the CBD so walking is a good option. It has the added bonus that you can enjoy the streetscapes as you wander around. Ballarat is well supplied with taxis to get to more distance attractions and rental cars are available.

There are regular fast trains from Melbourne which only take around one hour. Melbourne airport is also about one hour away and there are buses from here to Ballarat.

There are many interesting places in the Ballarat region and between Ballarat and Melbourne which can be combined with a visit to Ballarat. Daylesford is the spa capital of Australia so that has appeal to many people. Hanging Rock near Woodend is a rare volcanic formation which is fascinating to climb and this is also home to the Hanging Rock races which have been a colourful country event for 120 years.

There are very few grand heritage hotels around but this is undoubtedly one of them. I am not in a position to know whether the hotels claim to be “the finest boutique heritage hotel in Australia” is accurate. What I do know is it is good and I enjoyed my stay here very much.

As one of the first grand hotels in the British colony of Victoria, Craig’s Royal Hotel was born from the wealth of the Australian Gold Rush Era. Established in 1853, Craig’s soon set the standards for unparalleled hospitality and service. Hosting poets, princes and prime ministers over its 150-year history, the hotel is a true icon of the Victorian period.

Now, after 3 years extensive restoration, the magnificent accommodation, dining, meeting and banquet facilities are re-establishing Craig’s as a place to be. Everyone I spoke to in Ballarat seemed to mention Craigs so it is clearly having an impact on the local community. Unfortunately, the dining facilities were not yet operating when I visited but I saw their development and they will be great.

The hotel foyer is magnificent. You enter a different era and experience its luxury. The sumptuously decorated Foyer Lounge, featuring rich velvet and studded leather sofas, is a great place to enjoy a French champagne or pre-dinner cocktail.

I was very happy with my room on the second floor. You take an old-style elevator or walk the grand staircase to reach it. The room had air-conditioning with individual climate control, luxurious bedding, a marble trimmed bathroom, cable TV & high-speed Internet connections, and L’Occitane toiletries. The bed was extremely comfortable and there was no noise intrusion.

There are a total of 41 rooms over three floors. There are also some specially themed rooms which include the Anglo-Japanese suite, and the Chinois Wedding Bed room.
The L’Orangerie Restaurant at Craig’s, in the oldest part of the hotel, will provide seating for 40 guests. According to the owner, it will serve regional and quality imported produce and will open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday from late 2007. I’m advised that a jacket and reservations will be required.

The other dining spot will be the Gallery Bistro. This will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a spacious light filled glass roofed conservatory in the historic courtyard. It should be something special.

Oscar’s Hotel & Café Bar is a unique art deco, boutique hotel in the heart of Ballarat’s CBD. Oscar’s offers a style unrivalled in a city renowned for its abundant history, beautiful gardens and world-class tourist attractions. Art deco is not my favourite architectural style so I was not overly impressed by the exterior. My initial expectations, however, were surpassed with great food, excellent service and state of the art facilities.

Now privately owned and operated, Oscar’s was originally the Criterion Hotel, a popular venue in the gold rush days. A recent extensive refurbishment has transformed it into an iconic property with 13 stylish, contemporary guest rooms and open plan restaurant, bar and courtyard.

All rooms have private en-suites, televisions and DVD players, individually controlled air conditioning and heating, broadband internet connection, tea & coffee making facilities and mini bar fridge. There is room service from 7.30am to 9 pm. I was shown a spa room with LCD TV screens above the bath and there are two rooms with double showers. A daily laundry service is provided. Guests receive complimentary off street parking.

What made Oscar’s so popular with me was the restaurant. The inside has a relaxed feeling with comfortable chairs, plenty of natural light and plenty of seating for a main meal or just a snack with friends. On a warm day you can sit in the courtyard at the back of the restaurant to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

The menu has plenty to offer with many mains under $20. For breakfast, I recommend the home-made granola muesli served with yoghurt or the buttermilk pancakes served with ice-cream, double cream or maple syrup and hot stewed strawberries. For lunch, that old favourite the toasted sandwich is only $11.90. This had chicken breast, avocado, semi-dried tomatoes, cheese & mayo and is served with chips (French fries).

For dinner I was torn between the pan seared kangaroo fillet which is stacked on a red wine risotto with fresh asparagus topped with an eggplant & sun dried tomato puree & sweet potato shavings or the prawn wok. The wok won out and I was served prawns tossed with Asian vegetables in a sweet chilli & lime sauce served with noodles. It was delicious.

The restaurant has an extensive bar where the meal orders are taken. You don't have to go for a full meal as the range of cakes and desserts is very good if you are just passing through or need a well earned coffee break during the day. Oscar's is open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Tozers restaurant has become a Ballarat institution. It has fairly recently relocated to The Ansonia Hotel in Lydiard St and it has gone from strength to strength. Ballarat is not known as a gourmet destination so this was a real surprise.

Tozers is relaxed and chic. It really is a class act with soft lighting, cathedral ceilings and walls adorned with artistic black and white photography. The elegant decor suits the restaurants simple and timeless approach to cuisine. The international menu features fresh, approachable dishes complemented with great local wines. Special touches such as complimentary palate cleansing sorbets between courses and rich truffles with the coffee show an unusual generosity and contribute to a memorable dining experience.

Ballarat locals tell me the food is the best in the region. It was certainly excellent the evening we visited and the knowledgeable staff and the modern décor all added to an ambience to die for. When in Ballarat don't go anywhere else.

The restaurant uses local produce and the chef cooks it to perfection. I shared an entrée of fresh Victorian black mussels with tomato, basil and a touch of chili served with olive flat bread. It was excellent. For a main course I chose comfit leg of duck on braised cabbage with bacon lardons and broad beans, served with a pinot noir jus. This was served with complimentary bread & side serve of vegetables. A final indulgence was fresh strawberry and vanilla cream between layers of
almond shortcake. Oh, what bliss!

The professionalism and dedication to local produce is amazing. This also extends to the wine list which features local wines from a 50 kilometre radius of the restaurant. The one recommended to me was excellent. All this is complimented with great service with just the right level of friendliness. The result was an exceptional meal.

This is a very interesting place for a meal or snack anytime during the day. I expected a brewery but what I found was a dining experience which no doubt is unique within the city of Ballarat. Owner/Operator Simon Coghlan has created a versatile space which incorporates formal dining, private functions and a fresh metro bar style. An extensive wine list by both bottle and glass accompanies the menu of modern Australian cuisine.

This restaurant has an interesting history of its own. The new restaurant has risen from the ashes of the old Phoenix Brewery generations after its establishment in 1854 by Simon's great, great grandfather. With 150 years of local brewing tradition in the family, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Ballarat one-day has a beer it can once again call its own.

The Phoenix Brewery is located in the historic Camp Street arts precinct in Central Ballarat opposite the University of Ballarat city campus. It opens for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday from 10am till late and on Saturday and Sunday from 5pm till late.

There are a la carte blackboard specials which are changed daily, an extensive local wine list to buy by the glass, and quality coffee and organic teas. On street level, the wall-sized gabled windows can open to create the perfect leaning spot for a glass of pinot gris at dusk during the warm afternoons of autumn and summer. Benches and chairs on the footpath cater for those who prefer to dine alfresco on those warmer days and evenings.

I was with a group of about 10 people when we went for lunch so we decided to get a selection of things from the menu and share. That proved to be a good decision and I can now say I have tried about a quarter of the menu. Everything was very good. The pasta was excellent, the fish and other seafood was succulent and the Thai fish cakes were some of the best I have tasted.

The atmosphere was happy, the chatter was loud and clearly all patrons were enjoying their mid-day dining experience. I suspect that some of the city workers were late back to their desks.

With a pronounced European influence, the Phoenix Brewery also offers an introduction to the Spanish concept of tapas, perfect for any time of day. This is just another part of its modern approach to old-fashioned good food & service.

A sense of history is evident in Ballarat's streetscapes and architecture and to me this is one of the major attractions of the city. Lydiard Street and Sturt Street are renowned for their Victorian splendour. Craig's Royal Hotel, The Mining Exchange and Her Majesty's Theatre are just some of the individual buildings worth visiting. In Eureka Street, the typical wooden miner's cottages have their own special charm.

As you walk around you understand why Ballarat is notable for its very wide boulevards. The main street is Sturt Street and it is considered one of the finest main avenues in Australia with over 2 kilometres of central gardens featuring bandstands, fountains, statues, monuments, memorials and lamposts.

The legacy of the wealth generated during Ballarat's gold boom is still visible in a large number of fine stone buildings in and around the city, especially in the Lydiard Street area which contains some of Australia's finest examples of mid 19th century architecture.

Ballarat has what is considered to be the greatest concentration of historic architectural cast iron lace building decoration in the world with lacework adorning many public buildings, commercial establishments and houses. Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to restore or rebuild some of the more significant cast iron lace verandahs that were torn down in the 1960s.

The city also has the greatest concentration of public statuary in any Australian city with many parks and streets featuring sculptures and statues dating from the 1860s to the present day.

There are many buildings worth seeing but there are four structures that I particularly recommend you don’t miss.
Craigs Hotel which was called "the pride of Ballarat" by Mark Twain. The present Lydiard Street building was opened in 1862, and the renowned poet Adam Lindsay Gordon ran the livery stables in 1867-68.

The Ballarat Mechanics' Institute at 117-119 Sturt St, right opposite Camp St, is one of Ballarat's oldest institutions. The building was constructed in two stages in 1860 and 1869. It is on the register of historic buildings. The subscription library has operated continuously for 140 years and is popular with its over 500 current members.

The Titanic Memorial Bandstand, erected in Sturt Street in 1915, is one of only two memorials in Australia to the bandsmen who went down with the ill-fated liner. A silhouette of the ship forms part of the weather vane on top.

Her Majesty’s Theatre opened as the Academy of Music in 1875 and was restored to its present condition and renamed Her Majesty's in 1990. It is the oldest continuously operating, purpose built theatre in Australia.

Fortunately all of these are concentrated in one area so they can all be seen on foot in a short time. I strongly recommend you give a couple of hours of your time to appreciate this unique streetscape.