The Best of Ballarat This Spring: What’s On and Where To Eat and Drink

Ballarat is only an hour and a bit from Melbourne by car or V/Line, but it feels like its own world, with a growing crop of restaurants, bars, galleries and attractions drawing visitors year-round. Spring is a particularly nice time to visit. When the chill in the air starts to subside, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens come into bloom and Melbourne Fringe Festival’s new Ballarat Encore season brings a run of beloved comedy acts and experimental performances to town.

Ballarat’s gold-rush history and classic pubs are obvious stops, but here are a few more places to add to your itinerary.

Do

Melbourne Fringe Festival has been running for more than four decades, but its Ballarat Encore season is brand new. Taking place from October 22 to 25 2026, the mini festival will bring a run of regional exclusives alongside a handful of the festival’s standout shows making their way from Melbourne. The program spans comedy, cabaret and circus, with a mix of Fringe headliners, indie acts and quirky performances. If you can only pick one to see, don’t miss Fountain Lakes: Y2K – where your favourite foxy morons meet drag queens in a camp comedy parody.

If you’re visiting over the weekend, time your trip with the Ballarat Farmers Market, which runs on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Held at North Gardens Reserve beside Lake Wendouree, the market brings together up to 130 stalls depending on the season, selling everything from fresh produce and baked goods to clothing, jewellery and handmade gifts.

Eat

Start the day with coffee and brunch at Yellow Espresso, a sunny cafe on Sturt Street. For something a little further afield, head to The Shared Table in Buninyong, champion of this year’s Ballarat’s Best Pie competition. Beyond the winning Wagyu pie, chef Dianne Ray’s menu leans hard on local produce in dishes like chicken-skin crisps with black garlic labneh, and mochi gnocchi with miso eggplant and caramelised mushrooms.

If you’re looking to splash out, head to Babae, set inside Hotel Vera, a design-led boutique hotel in a 19th-century mansion. The 26-seat restaurant serves a seven-course dinner or four-course lunch, with a focus on seasonal produce, including plenty grown in its own garden. Underbar is another Ballarat staple for a special dinner; chef Derek Boath serves a produce-focused three-course menu on Friday and Saturday nights only.

Drink

If wine country calls, head to Wayward Winery, about 30 minutes’ drive west of Ballarat at the start of the Pyrenees wine region. It’s an easy introduction to an area home to more than 25 wineries, whether you’re after a quick tasting, or planning to make a weekend of it.

Closer to town, Renard is a local favourite for cocktails, aperitivo hour and a lively energy that gives way to disco and DJs as the night goes on. For something quieter, the North Britain Hotel in Soldiers Hill, just north of the CBD, channels classic British pub energy with draught beers and UK-inspired bites.

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of Melbourne Fringe Festival.