Get stronger together at the Ballarat Turf Club for the Sportsbet Ballarat Cup Day.

Enjoy everything the Ballarat Turf Club has to offer and everything that our club, our town and our region represents.

Where our community and all our visitors are always stronger together. Stronger together with food, fashion, live entertainment, kids activities and all the up close racing action that we are famous for. Whether you are looking for country casual or a full catered experience, there are packages to suit everybody!

We look forward to welcoming you to Ballarat Turf Club, whether it is to witness our wonderful horses, trainers and riders or for the love of the road trip, we like to say it’s because we’re “Stronger together.”

2023 will be the 28th year of SpringFest Ballarat.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Ballarat, SpringFest has become an iconic event in Ballarat. The event hosts around 450 markets stalls, including food vendors in and around the western precinct of Lake Wendouree, From St Aidan’s Drive to Carlton Street.

Other activities on the day include, Show’n’Glow, Pets Corner, Kids Zone, Spring Garden Zone, Food and Wine Precinct, Emergency Services Zone and Indigenous Area.

A tonic for your creativity: gin, botanicals and your own abstract art.

Discover two of Ballarat’s hidden gems and unlock your creativity at this gin and painting experience.

Find inspiration off the beaten path in Mount Pleasant – Ballarat’s oldest residential suburb. Begin this experience with a flight of gin in the rustic warehouse of Kilderkin Distillery. Explore the various styles and botanicals used in their Larrikin Gin range.

Then you’ll move (either on foot or by car) to the nearby quaint and private studio of visual artist Laura Day. Continue the botanical theme by using Laura’s garden studio as the inspiration for your own abstract painting on canvas. Laura will guide you in the technique of negative space abstract painting and teach you how to use plants, leaves and natural elements as stencils for your creation.

Laura Day is a passionate painter, mixed media artist and art tutor. She holds a Diploma in Visual Arts from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Communication Design with a printmaking major at the Queensland College of Art. Laura has been in Ballarat since 2011, teaching a variety of visual art techniques to hundreds of students.

A tonic for your creativity: gin, botanicals and your own abstract art.

Discover two of Ballarat’s hidden gems and unlock your creativity at this gin and painting experience.

Find inspiration off the beaten path in Mount Pleasant – Ballarat’s oldest residential suburb. Begin this experience with a flight of gin in the rustic warehouse of Kilderkin Distillery. Explore the various styles and botanicals used in their Larrikin Gin range.

Then you’ll move (either on foot or by car) to the nearby quaint and private studio of visual artist Laura Day. Continue the botanical theme by using Laura’s garden studio as the inspiration for your own abstract painting on canvas. Laura will guide you in the technique of negative space abstract painting and teach you how to use plants, leaves and natural elements as stencils for your creation.

Laura Day is a passionate painter, mixed media artist and art tutor. She holds a Diploma in Visual Arts from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Communication Design with a printmaking major at the Queensland College of Art. Laura has been in Ballarat since 2011, teaching a variety of visual art techniques to hundreds of students.

A tonic for your creativity: gin, botanicals and your own abstract art.

Discover two of Ballarat’s hidden gems and unlock your creativity at this gin and painting experience.

Find inspiration off the beaten path in Mount Pleasant – Ballarat’s oldest residential suburb. Begin this experience with a flight of gin in the rustic warehouse of Kilderkin Distillery. Explore the various styles and botanicals used in their Larrikin Gin range.

Then you’ll move (either on foot or by car) to the nearby quaint and private studio of visual artist Laura Day. Continue the botanical theme by using Laura’s garden studio as the inspiration for your own abstract painting on canvas. Laura will guide you in the technique of negative space abstract painting and teach you how to use plants, leaves and natural elements as stencils for your creation.

Laura Day is a passionate painter, mixed media artist and art tutor. She holds a Diploma in Visual Arts from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Communication Design with a printmaking major at the Queensland College of Art. Laura has been in Ballarat since 2011, teaching a variety of visual art techniques to hundreds of students.

Cooking classes will soon be back on the menu at Mr Jones Dining.

Career chef Damien Jones is at the helm of this fine dining modern Asian offering.

He previously worked at London's Michelin-starred Nahm before opening his former hatted restaurant, Catfish Thai, in Ballarat.

Each cooking class will include lunch, with initial dates set for Sunday 3 September (Father's Day) and Friday 29 September (Grand Final public holiday).

Stay tuned to Mr Jones' socials to find out when bookings open.

📸 Photography Class 'Modelling & Portraiture' 📸

The talented young photographer, Jett, is hosting her first photography workshop for anyone aged 16-18 who wants to learn how to photograph people or be comfortable in front of a camera!

This workshop focuses on black and white portrait photography, and offers you the opportunity to try something you may never have been able to before, for free!

Only 15 tickets, so if you are interested, register now!

Your portraits will be framed and exhibited in our Youth Space to show how amazing local young people are!

This workshop is made possible by the Victorian Government Youth Fest funding.

Questions? Contact Suze 0438553478 or susanlarmer@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Cooking classes will soon be back on the menu at Mr Jones Dining.

Career chef Damien Jones is at the helm of this fine dining modern Asian offering.

He previously worked at London's Michelin-starred Nahm before opening his former hatted restaurant, Catfish Thai, in Ballarat.

Each cooking class will include lunch, with initial dates set for Sunday 3 September (Father's Day) and Friday 29 September (Grand Final public holiday).

Stay tuned to Mr Jones' socials to find out when bookings open.

Come behind the scenes with Sovereign Hill's expert guides and explore our vaults of more than 25,000 photographs.

From magic lanterns to box brownies, Bardwell and A.V. Smith, hear the stories of the studios and the technologies that transformed the goldfields and how we see the world today.

Sovereign Hill's Australian Centre for Gold Rush Collections is the home of an amazing collection that brings together 150,000 objects that tell the stories of this region, its many diverse people, practices and ideas. It’s a place for new ideas and for discovery. Through our unique programs and experiences we present stories and objects that connect us to our history, heritage and culture.

A tonic for your creativity: gin, botanicals and your own abstract art.

Discover two of Ballarat’s hidden gems and unlock your creativity at this gin and painting experience.

Find inspiration off the beaten path in Mount Pleasant – Ballarat’s oldest residential suburb. Begin this experience with a flight of gin in the rustic warehouse of Kilderkin Distillery. Explore the various styles and botanicals used in their Larrikin Gin range.

Then you’ll move (either on foot or by car) to the nearby quaint and private studio of visual artist Laura Day. Continue the botanical theme by using Laura’s garden studio as the inspiration for your own abstract painting on canvas. Laura will guide you in the technique of negative space abstract painting and teach you how to use plants, leaves and natural elements as stencils for your creation.

Laura Day is a passionate painter, mixed media artist and art tutor. She holds a Diploma in Visual Arts from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Communication Design with a printmaking major at the Queensland College of Art. Laura has been in Ballarat since 2011, teaching a variety of visual art techniques to hundreds of students.

Book your table now and experience the rich traditions and flavors of Scotland in every bite.

The 4 course menu is paired with a whisky tasting from Kingslake Distillery, and accompanied with Ceilidh dancing and Scottish ballads by Melbourne-based duo, Auld Alliance.

Slainte!

A tonic for your creativity: gin, botanicals and your own abstract art.

Discover two of Ballarat’s hidden gems and unlock your creativity at this gin and painting experience.

Find inspiration off the beaten path in Mount Pleasant – Ballarat’s oldest residential suburb. Begin this experience with a flight of gin in the rustic warehouse of Kilderkin Distillery. Explore the various styles and botanicals used in their Larrikin Gin range.

Then you’ll move (either on foot or by car) to the nearby quaint and private studio of visual artist Laura Day. Continue the botanical theme by using Laura’s garden studio as the inspiration for your own abstract painting on canvas. Laura will guide you in the technique of negative space abstract painting and teach you how to use plants, leaves and natural elements as stencils for your creation.

Laura Day is a passionate painter, mixed media artist and art tutor. She holds a Diploma in Visual Arts from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Communication Design with a printmaking major at the Queensland College of Art. Laura has been in Ballarat since 2011, teaching a variety of visual art techniques to hundreds of students.

Grab your coat and mittens & head to our outdoor courtyard for warming food truck goodies & sweet treats. Then pop indoors to a snug space to explore the local stallholders & artists, free kids workshops & entertainment and live music, all to celebrate the season!

The Winter Wonderland market will be a celebration of the chilly weather - open fires, hot food, mulled wine, magical fairy lights, and lots of entertainment and activities for the kids and grown ups alike.