Sovereign Hill and Ballarat Wildllife Park
Looking for Gold? This is the tour for you. Let us take you to Sovereign Hill and you can try your hand at panning for gold. Sovereign Hill brings to life the excitement of Australia’s great 1850s gold rushes, providing a unique Australian experience and entertainment. There’s real gold to be panned – and it’s ‘finders keepers’, an underground gold mine, street theatre and the opportunity to meet costumed goldfields characters. See a spectacular $150,000 gold pour and chat with skilled craftsmen at work in the blacksmith’s forge, the candle works, the wheelwright’s plant, the coach builder’s and the confectionery factory. All of this after you visit Ballarat wildlife park ,where you get up close with many Australian animals including the crocodile.
Cost: $245.00
1 day
Suitable for all ages
Tour Highlights:
- Visit the country town of Ballarat
- Visit Ballarat wildlife park
- Visit Sovereign Hill
- Pan for gold
- Underground mine tour (optional extra)
Tour Includes:
- Free pick ups from most City hotels/hostels
- Free chilled water (remember to bring your own water bottle)
- Free entry into Ballarat wildlife park
- Free entry into Sovereign Hill
- Free entry into Gold museum
Pickup details
We pickup from most Melbourne city locations and a few places in St Kilda. Most of our pickups are early, the reason for this is to avoid the traffic and depart Melbourne nice and early. We aim to stay ahead of other tour busses, so that when we reach our lookouts they are not crowded. We aim to give you the best possible experience.
All our vehicles are small 12 seater mini busses, with our logo ‘Around And About’ on the side. Please be ready 5 minutes prior to your pickup time. Bus might be slightly late due to traffic and unforeseen circumstances. Please keep a look out for your bus. Your pickup details will be on your confirmation email. Below is a list of our most common pickup locations and times. If your location is not listed, email us your details and we can advice the closet pickup spot for you.
At the end of the tour we will drop off only in the Melbourne city, we don’t do any St Kilda, Southbank or surrounding suburbs drop offs. We will endeavour to drop you as close as possible to your original pickup but this is not always possible due to traffic. Melbourne does offer a very good tram service that is free within the city area. Sometimes a short tram ride is the quickest way to get back to your accommodation. We look forward in taking you Around And About and showing your what our wonderful State of Victoria has to offer.
The Day
- Depart Melbourne at 7.30 am
- Note: Pickup starts 45 minutes prior to departure time
- Travelling north directly to Ballarat, home of Sovereign hill (90 minute journey)
- Our first stop is the wildlife park where you can see crocodiles, snakes, kangaroos and many other Australian animals
- We then drive to Sovereign Hill where you’ll spend the afternoon experiencing and learning about the history of the gold rush in the 1850s
- Try your luck at panning for Gold
- We then return directly back to Melbourne
- Arrive in Melbourne at approx 5.30 pm
- Note: We also offer private customized tour to Sovereign Hill, this include a night show and overnight at Sovereign Hill hotel
- AURA is Sovereign Hill’s totally new immersive theatre experience, featuring cutting-edge 3D projection technology
- Travel under night skies to explore space, delve into the dreamtime and re-live the drama of Australia’s most important rebellion. This is the story of how gold changed everything for a young Australia
- Dining is also available before the show commences
What To Bring
- Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Rain jacket (just in case)
- Warm clothes (just in case)
- Camera (spare battery and memory card – you will need it)
- Phone charger and cable
- Comfortable walking shoes
Ballarat is Victoria’s third largest city (just over 100000). Ballarat has enjoyed a rich and prosperous heritage thanks to the Gold Rush which began in 1851. These days, long after the gold has run out, the city retains much of its rich gold heritage in the form of opulent buildings, fountains, and tourist attractions which celebrate the city’s history. Notable buildings include Ballarat’s Town Hall (built between 1870 and 1872), Her Majesty’s Theatre (1875) and Craig’s Hotel which was built in several stages between 1853 and 1891.
