From scrumptious scrolls to honest Italian cooking and an inflatable art festival, here's the lowdown on what's new in Ballarat this winter...
New food & drink offerings
- Beautifully messy, sweetly nostalgic – introducing The Scroll Society. From the team behind The Turret Cafe and The Turret Bakehouse comes these 100% sourdough brioche cinnamon scrolls. The revolving line-up of scrumptious scrolls includes everything from honeycomb, vanilla and lemon curd to Biscoff, banoffee and funfetti birthday cake. Limited numbers available from 8am daily at 802 Sturt St.
- New home, new menu, new chapter for the European-style Peasant. Peasant Osteria is now open within the beautiful grounds of Mercure Ballarat Hotel & Convention Centre. The richly atmospheric European dining experience is shaped by exceptional seasonal produce, soulful hospitality and a slower way of gathering. Led by award-winning chef Douglas Kerr and renowned restaurateur Dan Tesoriero, Peasant draws heavily from Dan’s roots with Calabrian and Sicilian influence. Take your pick from the nightly à la carte menu, in addition to a chef’s selection on Friday and Saturday nights.
- It's where Ballarat's rebellious spirit meets your next caffeine fix. Rebellion Café is now open at the Eureka Centre Ballarat – located on the site of the 1854 Eureka Stockade and home to the Eureka flag. Operated by Ballarat hospitality couple Jamie and Tracey Mahony (from Inexterior), Rebellion Café is open daily from 10am-5pm for breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake. The menu features nods to the history of the site, with offerings like The Governors Big Breakfast and the Rebellion Burger. Check it out at 102 Stawell St.
- Simple, honest Italian cooking – what's not to love?! Introducing Grano – Ballarat's newest CBD restaurant dishing up hand-made pasta and pizza, generous plates and a lively dining room inspired by the social spirit of Italy. Tucked away inside The Goods Shed Ballarat, Grano (Italian for 'grain') is open for breakfast and lunch from 8am-3pm daily plus dinner Wednesday-Sunday from 5.30pm. And to top it all off, their menu also includes gluten-friendly and vegetarian offerings. Bellissimo! Put Grano to the test at 200 Lydiard St Nth (between Quest Ballarat Station and Itinerant Spirits).
- Pinkies up – there's a new high tea in town! Cafe at Provincial Ballarat is now hosting an elegant yet effortless high tea on the first Saturday morning of each month. Think curated delicacies that are handcrafted, intentional and bursting with colour and flavour. And, of course, perfectly complimented by bottomless tea and coffee. Tickets are $60 adult and $40 children under 12 years.
- Channel the essence of slow Italian mornings at Black Cat Truffles this winter. Every Friday from 9.30am, start the day with La Tavola Del Mattino (Italian for 'the morning table'). We're talking house-made focaccias filled with local meats, seasonal ingredients and, of course, truffles (think truffle mustard, truffle honey, truffle aioli and more); rotating flavours of fresh cannoli; and locally-roasted Karon Farm Coffee.
New things to see & do
- Who said inflatables are just for kids?! Hidden 2026 is about to transform Ballarat's Civic Hall into a vibrant world of inflatable art. From 10-12 July, this immersive micro festival will invite you to wander, touch, listen and play in a dreamlike landscape of curiosity and imagination. Explore six large-scale installations by local artists Jay Kulbardi, Annelìse Belladonna, Ben Pennell, Tom Bell, Kathy Holowko and Meaghan Shelton. Presented by Creative City Ballarat, Hidden is a sensory experience celebrating curiosity, creativity and play.
- Winter just got a whole lot brighter at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. Step inside the Robert Clark Conservatory and discover a brand-new winter showcase called Strength in Diversity. According to the talented gardens team, the indoor display features "our favorite winter heroes of cyclamen, cineraria and primula and an area that transports you to tropics". The Robert Clark Conservatory is open 9am-6pm daily. Entry is free.
- What do you think of when you hear the word 'siren'? In ancient Greek literature, sirens were mythical female deities who lured seafarers into danger with their beguiling songs. Today, sirens are an alert for danger. Ballarat artist Kate Gorman is drawing upon both meanings of the word in a new exhibition exploring the impact of tourism, suburban growth and progress on Victoria's coastal landscape. Kate's delicate, half-human sculptures are designed to charm and lure the viewer into her underlying sense of environmental peril. Sirens is now on show at the Art Gallery of Ballarat's Backspace Gallery until 12 July. The exhibition is open 10am-5pm daily at 43 Mair St. Entry is free.
AUTUMN 2026
New food & drink offerings
- "It’s Fitzroy brunch spot meets the Melbourne back alley coffee joint no one knows about." Welcome to Prey – Ballarat's newest (and most possibly cutest!) cafe. Located in a former brick school building (you can still spot the cross on the roof!), Prey is the latest venture from the duo who brought us Naomi & i. Go for the 1970s vintage vibe and stay for the cracking coffee, buttery pastries, limited edition cold drinks and pretty blooms. Check it out at 1/6 Lyons St Nth.
- From butcher's shop to coffee spot! It's the neighbourhood shopfront where locals once went for their sausages, steak and Sunday roast. Today, it's serving up cake, cookies and Rumble coffee courtesy of the team behind popular Ballarat cafe Cobb's Coffee. Cobb's Canteen is now open at 119 Pleasant St Sth and we couldn't be more excited to see what's on the menu over the coming months!
- Down at The Goods Shed, menu testing has been underway for the perfect hand-stretched pizza dough and homemade pasta sauces ahead of the opening of Grano. Stay tuned to find out more!
- We've got craft beer, we've got exceptional wines, we've got vodka, gin and whiskey. And now, we've also got rum! The latest addition to Ballarat's extensive drinks menu comes courtesy of Kilderkin Distillery. Their brand-new Goldfields Rum has been shaped over six years in small ex‑bourbon and ex‑rye whiskey barrels that were once filled with maple syrup. "The casks leave their mark from the first breath — spice, maple and oak rising warmly from the glass," writes the Ballarat distillery.
- After 18 months of perfecting, tasting and tweaking, Ballarat's Grounded Pleasures has entered the wonderful world of matcha. Take your pick from pure matcha, raspberry matcha, vanilla matcha or strawberry matcha.
- Mrs Baker's Still House has moved! The boutique Pyrenees distillery has relocated its cellar door to The Flywheel Bar & Cafe in Beaufort. Drop by the historic Neill St space for gin and liqueur tasting flights and bottles.
New things to see & do
- Ceramics queen Shelby Sherritt has unveiled her new (and much bigger!) pottery studio in the Bridge Mall. Pop into The Pottage for paint your own pottery workshops (including two-hour and full day options) and, for the first time, wheel throwing workshops.
- You asked for more – and Sovereign Hill has delivered! The outdoor museum has launched its new look VIP Rebellion Pass and it's now even bigger and more immersive. So, what's included? Get a two-hour, small-group journey through the Sovereign Hill township; gold panning with your own gold planning expert in a dedicated VIP area; priority seating at the iconic gold pour; and exclusive keepsakes including a VIP lanyard, gold jar and your own miner’s licence.
