Goldfields Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

Sovereign Hill
Bendigo
Bendigo showing a fountain and street scenes
Bendigo featuring street scenes
Bendigo which includes a city

The cradle of Victoria’s pioneering gold rush years is now a destination for regional art galleries, gourmet providores, picturesque Victorian architecture and museums.

Victoria’s expansive inland Goldfields region chiefly encompasses Ballarat, Bendigo, Daylesford, Castlemaine, Heathcote and Maryborough, and is the historical heart of the state’s wild 19th-century gold rush. Characterised by magnificently ornate Victorian architecture and pioneering boomtowns, Goldfields is a fascinating historical region that now features museums, boutique shops, cafés and restaurants within its wide streets. Visit eccentric towns, explore historic quarters and sample award-winning wines and gourmet cheeses from the region at farmsteads and cellar doors.

Each gold-rush town will have its fair share of opulent 1850s architecture, distinctive for its weatherboards, broad awnings and ornate iron lace trim. Take a walking tour of the different towns and see preserved Victorian streetscapes in Talbot, Maldon, Dunolly and Clunes. Local museums and monuments trace the timeline of the gold rush period, the dramatic events of Ballarat’s Eureka Stockade and the diverse people who came to seek their fortune in the fields. Discover the legacy of the Chinese goldminers and the lavish gardens that were created by prospectors who struck gold.

Don’t miss a tour of the Goldfields’ fantastic regional galleries, including the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum, the Golden Dragon Chinese Museum, the Central Goldfields Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Bendigo Art Gallery and Bendigo Pottery. Many of the Goldfields’ ornate theatres are still operational and are a great place to catch a local performance or film screening.

Outside of the towns, explore the Goldfields’ great outdoors and discover stunning plains and dense forests between historical relics. Go bushwalking, cycling or mountain biking at Lake Wendouree, Lake Weeroona or Kooyoora State Park, or drop a fishing line in one of the region’s trout lakes. Scenic golf courses are dotted throughout the region. Take it all in on a soaring helicopter flight with a Goldfields aerial tour.

You can reach most places in the Goldfields region within 2 hours’ drive from Melbourne. Victoria’s regional V/Line railway service reaches most major urban centres in the Goldfields. The Goldfields’ wide selection of attractions makes it an ideal place to visit at any time of the year.

Where to stay in Goldfields

Sovereign Hill featuring interior views

Golden Point (Ballarat)

Travellers come to Golden Point (Ballarat) for its abundant dining options, and you can see top attractions like Gold Museum and Sovereign Hill while you're in town.

Golden Point (Ballarat)
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Delacombe

Delacombe is well liked for its shopping. If you'd like to do some sightseeing in the greater Ballarat area, you might plan a trip to Ballarat Tramway Museum or Ballarat Golf Club.

Delacombe
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Lake Wendouree

You'll enjoy the restaurants and museums in Lake Wendouree. You might want to make time for a stop at Lake Wendouree or Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

Lake Wendouree
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Kangaroo Flat

Kangaroo Flat is noteworthy for its shopping, and you can make a stop at top attractions like Lansell Plaza Shopping Centre and Kangaroo Flat Lockwood Road Bushland Reserve.

Kangaroo Flat
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Ballarat East

Ballarat East is noteworthy for its spas, and you can make a stop at top attractions like Eureka Aquatic Center and Eureka Hall.

Ballarat East
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East Bendigo

While visiting East Bendigo, you might make a stop by sights like White Hills H92 Bushland Reserve and Bendigo East Bushland Reserve.

East Bendigo
Quest Ballarat Station

Quest Ballarat Station

4 out of 5
Nolan, 11, Soldiers Hill, VIC
The price is AU$193 per night from 14 Aug to 15 Aug
AU$193
14 Aug - 15 Aug
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star business-friendly aparthotel in Ballarat. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and a fitness center. Our guests praise the helpful staff ...
9.4/10 Exceptional! (474 reviews)
"Central location was great, easy to get to attractions. Kitchen facilities were excellent and lots of variety of dine in and takeaway food outlets close by. Would definitely stay there again"

Reviewed on 4 Aug. 2025

Quest Ballarat Station
Mid City Ballarat

Mid City Ballarat

4 out of 5
19 Doveton St North, Ballarat, VIC
The price is AU$135 per night from 6 Aug to 7 Aug
AU$135
6 Aug - 7 Aug
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star motel in Ballarat. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in our ...
7.8/10 Good! (1,003 reviews)
"The bathroom ceiling was leaking and the floor was wet."

Reviewed on 29 Jul. 2025

Mid City Ballarat
National Hotel Complex and Bendigo Central Apartments

National Hotel Complex and Bendigo Central Apartments

3.5 out of 5
182-186 High Street, Bendigo, VIC
The price is AU$118 per night from 7 Aug to 8 Aug
AU$118
7 Aug - 8 Aug
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 3.5-star motel in Bendigo. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 2 bars/lounges. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in our reviews. ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (841 reviews)
"No breakfast and no service unless requested. There for three nights so the room was a little tacky when we lest. The motel is connected to the National Hotel so it was handy for dinner."

Reviewed on 2 Aug. 2025

National Hotel Complex and Bendigo Central Apartments
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Quest Ballarat Station

Quest Ballarat Station

4 out of 5
Nolan, 11, Soldiers Hill, VIC
Stay at this 4-star business-friendly aparthotel in Ballarat. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and a fitness center. Our guests praise the helpful staff ...
9.4/10 Exceptional! (474 reviews)
"Central location was great, easy to get to attractions. Kitchen facilities were excellent and lots of variety of dine in and takeaway food outlets close by. Would definitely stay there again"

Reviewed on 4 Aug. 2025

Quest Ballarat Station
The Provincial Boutique Hotel

The Provincial Boutique Hotel

5 out of 5
121 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, VIC
Stay at this 5-star luxury aparthotel in Ballarat. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and room service. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (939 reviews)
"I love how they represented themselves as Boutique Hotel, really Boutiqued"

Reviewed on 4 Aug. 2025

The Provincial Boutique Hotel
Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa Villas

Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa Villas

4 out of 5
3 Forest Avenue, Hepburn Springs, VIC
Stay at this 4-star spa vacation home in Hepburn Springs. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a full-service spa. Popular attractions Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (90 reviews)
"The layout in a linear condo style made it spacious with all you’d need with kitchen, bed area and bathroom spa. Bed was big an comfortable with a gas log fire that kept the place very warm. Good location near spa centre but private. A short drive into Daylesford. Could do with some good ground coffee ..."

Reviewed on 6 Jul. 2025

Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa Villas
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Activities

Cities near Goldfields