Top Towns for 2022: The ever-changing town of Ballarat

Imogen EvesonBy Imogen Eveson
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A boom town of the Victorian goldrush era and today one of Victoria’s fast-growing regional cities, Ballarat continues to bloom featuring at no.24 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns.

Find the complete list of the Top 50 Aussie Towns here.

A 75-minute drive west of Melbourne, Ballarat was voted Victoria’s top tourism town in 2021 and is recognised as a UNESCO creative city. Its rich culture of artisans and dynamic culinary offerings tucked into reinvented goldrush buildings is a winning formula for a long weekend of wining, dining and soaking in the new wave of creativity that taps into the city’s past.

Heritage building in Ballarat.
Ballarat’s CBD is characterised by its grand goldrush buildings. (Image: Tara Moore)

A place in constant evolution, newcomers on the scene include pop-up restaurant Peasant , open Friday and Saturday evenings for just a few diners at a time in Ballarat’s historic Bank of New South Wales, and serving a five-course degustation of rustic European fare.

Food at Peasant Ballarat
Eat rustic fare at Peasant.

Meanwhile chef Derek Boath’s Underbar, Ballarat’s destination restaurant since it opened in 2016, is relocating to brand-new boutique digs at Hotel Vera (sister property to Bendigo’s Hotel Ernest).

And in the CBD spot it has vacated, Boath and sommelier Anthony Schuurs have created a sharp and fun urban wine bar, Pencilmark Wine Room , where an ever-changing roster of global drops are matched with fresh regional produce.

Browsing the bottles at Pencilmark Wine Room in Ballarat
Browse the bottles at Pencilmark Wine Room. (Image: Thom Mitchell)

Further emphasising Ballarat’s ongoing revitalisation, a major development and refurbishment of an 1863 heritage-listed bluestone building adjacent to the Ballarat railway station was unveiled at the start of 2022.

The Goods Shed now acts as a social, cultural and hospitality hub; its most recent additions include a gin distillery, Little Lon Distilling Co , an all-day dining outpost, a dumpling house and Quest Ballarat Station, an of-its-place hotel to complete the ‘eat, play, stay’ experience.

Exterior drone shot of The Goods Shed in Ballarat
The Goods Shed signals the Victorian city’s ongoing revitalisation.

Time your visit for the spring-summer season of artisan producer experiences, Made of: Ballarat . Picks of the bunch include the Secret Life of Bees with Backyard Beekeeping Ballarat , which runs on selected dates from October to February and will take you on a hands-on journey through a working honey beehive in the heart of the city.

Or take a trip 20 minutes out of town to Buninyong on Wadawurrung Country to embark on an Australian bushfoods adventure with Saltbush Kitchen . Also in late spring, the Australian Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades will open to offer workshops and masterclasses to those looking to learn everything from woodcarving and locksmithing to armoury and leatherwork.

Street art in Ballarat
You’ll find pockets of creativity everywhere around town. (Image: Tara Moore)
Explore more of Ballarat in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.
Imogen Eveson
Imogen Eveson is Australian Traveller’s Print Editor. She was named Editor of the Year at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and in 2023, was awarded the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) Australia’s Media Award. Before joining Australian Traveller Media as sub-editor in 2017, Imogen wrote for publications including Broadsheet, Russh and SilverKris. She launched her career in London, where she graduated with a BA Hons degree in fashion communication from world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins. She is the author/designer of The Wapping Project on Paper, published by Black Dog Publishing in 2014. Growing up in Glastonbury, home to the largest music and performing arts festival in the world, instilled in Imogen a passion for cultural cross-pollination that finds perfect expression today in shaping Australia’s leading travel titles. Imogen regularly appears as a guest on radio travel segments, including ABC National Nightlife, and is invited to attend global travel expos such as IMM, ILTM, Further East and We Are Africa.
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The iconic Victorian beach where true Aussie surf culture was born

    Craig TansleyBy Craig Tansley
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    Torquay’s Bells Beach is considered one of the best surf beaches in the world.

    It’d be easy to think Australian surf culture was born around the right-hand point breaks of the Gold Coast and Byron Bay. These regions seem the epitome of how the world views Aussie surfers – bronzed (or burnt), languishing in warm water and sunshine. The reality is a lot different.

    The rise of surf culture along Victoria’s coastline

    surfers at Bells Beach in Australia
    Surfers stand on the shore at Bells Beach, where the country’s biggest surfing competition is held each year. (Image: Getty/Filed Image)

    True Aussie surf culture was born on the chilly waves of Victoria’s winters, when huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean hit cliff-lined beaches along the Great Ocean Road . These beaches were the ultimate proving ground – surfers from all over Australia arrived in panel vans and VWs to do battle with the biggest waves they could find.

    huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean at Bells Beach
    Surfers take advantage of the huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean at Bells Beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

    There are surf breaks all along this very picturesque coast – but those around Torquay were most revered. The ultimate test of a surfer’s ability – and durability – however, was Bells Beach: Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. Just beyond, the breaks at Jan Juc and Winkipop beckoned.

    an aerial view of surfers at Bells Beach
    Hit the waves along the picturesque coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Torquay became surfing’s Silicon Valley: HQ for the entire Australian surf culture revolution. Four young locals worked out of their backyards in Torquay to create two of the world’s biggest surf labels – Rip Curl and Quiksilver , which soon became the region’s biggest employers.

    surfers out at Bells Beach
    Surfers out at Bells Beach, Victoria’s most famous beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

    Rip Curl started sponsoring the Bells Beach Pro in 1973 – and have done ever since. It’s been going since 1962 – making it the world’s longest continually run surfing contest. Held every Easter, it’s part of the world surfing tour. Spectators line its 30-metre-high cliffs to watch the world’s best take on enormous waves – it’s the ultimate coliseum for the sport and has inspired generations of Aussie surfers to join the list of heroes whose names are on its iconic bell.

    Follow the waves through Victoria’s surfing heartland

    Australian National Surfing Museum, Torquay
    The Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Just behind Torquay’s main drag, you can see all that history on display at the world’s best surf museum – the Australian National Surfing Museum . Here you can take your time absorbing the 100-year-or-so history of Australian surfing and check out the 150-strong surfboard collection.

    surfboards on display at Australian National Surfing Museum
    The museum holds surfing memorabilia, including a room dedicated to the history of boards. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    But classic Aussie surf culture can be observed in everyday life all over the Great Ocean Road and Torquay. Surfing dictates life here; no work is done until the big swells have come and gone. Just being here provides a window into 60-odd years of rebellion against convention; for no-one likes nine-to-five living on the Great Ocean Road.

    surfing memorabilia at Australian National Surfing Museum
    The varied displays celebrate the Bells Beach competition, surfing legends and Aussie surf culture. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    There’s less panel vans and VW Beetles these days, but surf culture still rules life. Surfers run this coast; you’re better off keeping out of their way when they’re running down past you to face the biggest swells – then hear them swap stories at cafes, restaurants and bars all around you.

    surfing at Bells Beach
    The beach near Torquay is Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. (Image: Visit Victoria/William Watt)