discover secrets

of ballarat on intriguing walking tours

Discover the charm of Ballarat on a slow travel adventure: Explore hidden gems in quaint laneways, discover unique local shopping, and immerse yourself in enchanting historical tales.

discover Ballarat on an intriguing

walking tour

- the best way to discover

Ballarat’s best hidden gems, and have a blast!

Take an delightful and unexpected journey to discover mysterious laneways, quirky local shops, and captivating hidden tales on one of the Hidden Lanes tours.

For a shorter tour for Ballarat, take the Secret Ballarat tour - perfect to discover gems to explore later. For those wanting tales of murder and intrigue, take the City Tales tour; For vintage lovers, the Vintage Fashion tour is for you; For those who love long walks, the Slow Travel self-guided tour is made for you.

Calendar

Book into a tour below. To book a private tour, get in touch:

Call 0455528741 or email hello@hiddenlanes.com.au

“Myself and 2 girlfriends had a blast…

Will be back to explore further as more to see yet!

— Janita

Beautifully curated,

inspiring slow travel

experiences of inner ballarat

These tours are designed for adventurous souls to discover beautiful scenery, art, history and experience slow travel in Ballarat. Ballarat experiences include:

Ballarat City Tales Tour + Coffee
Ballarat Vintage Fashion Tour + Coffee
Secret Ballarat Tour
Ballarat Corporate Team Building

join the ballarat

self-guided tour

Love walking? The self-guided tour is designed for you to take in a city in all it’s glory! The journey focuses on hidden laneways, art galleries/studios, antique and local gift stores, quirky cafes and beautiful scenery.

It takes 3-5 hrs including stopping at our recommended spots.You can also pick and choose what you want to do - the main point is to slow down and enjoy the experience.

The self-guided tour runs Wednesdays-Saturdays between 10:30am to 4pm. It’s available to do all year round except for public holidays and the Summer school holidays when most businesses are closed. Want something with less walking and more intrigue? Join the guided tours here.

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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 〰️

Slow Travel Inspired by

Korea’s

Jeju Island

Jarrod and Emma Hall, Hidden Lanes creators spent 9 years in South Korea, and during that time created video content and a slow travel guide to Korea’s Jeju Island. The journey was a walking or cycling route that included beautiful scenery, funky cafes, art galleries and nature. They made a film about the journey, that was featured in the Korean Expat Film Festival and World Bicycle Film Festival. They were inspired to make something similar for Ballarat and other slow travel vibe places in the world!

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.