DISCOVER BALLARAT’S HIDDEN STORIES
ON GUIDED WALKING TOURS
Small-group Ballarat walking tours through hidden laneways, historic buildings and the untold stories of Ballarat’s gold rush.
Scheduled City Tales tours available weekly
NOT JUST A WALK AROUND TOWN
City Tales is our signature Ballarat walking tour: a small-group, story-rich experience led by a local guide with a love of strange corners, old buildings, forgotten characters and the occasional theatrical flourish.
You’ll move at an easy pace through gold rush streets, hidden laneways and historic spaces, with time to ask questions, notice details and feel the city come alive.
CHOOSE YOUR BALLARAT WALKING TOUR
1. CITY TALES WALKING TOUR Most popular
Step into Ballarat’s laneways, gold rush stories and lost history on our signature small-group walking tour. Includes a coffee, hot chocolate or chai at historic Craig’s Royal Hotel.
Perfect for: history lovers, curious travellers, couples, friends, families and first-time visitors.
2. BALLARAT VINTAGE FASHION TOUR launching June 2026
A playful walking tour for vintage lovers, style seekers and curious shoppers. Visit beautiful local stores and uncover stories of the women, makers and fashions that shaped Ballarat.
Perfect for: culture seekers, fashion lovers, shopping days and groups of friends.
3. BALLARAT FOODIE & GIN DISTILLERY WALKING TOUR
A small-group tasting tour through Ballarat’s food stories, local flavours and working gin distillery scene. Includes a light lunch and gin tasting.
Perfect for: food lovers, couples, friends, first-time visitors and slow travellers.
MORE THAN A STANDARD CITY WALK
“Do yourselves a favour and try a Hidden Lanes Ballarat City Tour. Very witty and informative… we explored places not readily accessible to tourists. Fascinating and very interesting.”
WHY HIDDEN LANES WALKING TOURS FEEL DIFFERENT
Our Ballarat walking tours are built around stories, not scripts: gold-rush ambition, strange corners, forgotten characters and the scandals, dreams and disasters that shaped the city.
• Characters, not just dates
From Lola Montez to local makers, hoteliers, miners and mischief-makers, we bring Ballarat’s past to life through the people who lived it.
• Small groups, easy pace
No crowded buses, no rush — just a carefully hosted walking tour with time to look, listen and ask questions.
• Hidden places and overlooked details
Laneways, historic interiors, old shopfronts, basement stories and the little details most visitors walk straight past.
• A touch of theatre
Careful research, local storytelling and period-inspired attire help Ballarat feel like a living city, not a museum label.
BOOK YOUR HIDDEN LANES walking tour
Our walking tours are deliberately small, carefully hosted and easy to enjoy. Choose an upcoming City Tales tour or book a private experience for your own group before your preferred date disappears.
P.S. Got Questions?
Not sure which tour is right for you? Planning a private group experience? We’re happy to help.
Email us at hello@hiddenlanes.com.au
Book by phone on 0455 528 741
In-person and cash bookings are available at The Ballarat Imaginarium, 119A Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Slow travel
〰️
meander along laneways
〰️
buy local produce
〰️
stop and take photos
〰️
soak in the scenery
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Slow travel 〰️ meander along laneways 〰️ buy local produce 〰️ stop and take photos 〰️ soak in the scenery 〰️
thanks to our sponsors
With thanks to local historians Dr. David Waldron and Doug Bradby. This project was made possible by the Australian Government's Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.
This tour was developed on the Country of the Wadawurrung who have performed age old cultural ceremonies, celebrations and traditions here for thousands of years. We would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Elders past and present.