Ballarat Heritage Festival: Hidden Rooms of Craig’s Royal Hotel + Devonshire tea
Step inside one of Ballarat’s most iconic buildings and discover a side most people never experience.
For a limited time during the Ballarat Heritage Festival, Hidden Lanes invites you inside Craig’s Royal Hotel to explore its interiors, including elegant function spaces, basement areas, and rooms most visitors never see.
This is a rare chance to experience the building from within - a place full of stories.
At a Glance
Duration: 1-1.5 hrs
Ticket type: mobile
Group size: 3-15
Tour type: group
Meeting point: Craigs Royal Hotel foyer, 10 Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Included: Devonshire tea, guided building tour
Accessibility: Wheelchair friendly, please notify when booking
BOOK YOUR TOUR
Tickets: $35 pp
Step behind the doors of one of Ballarat’s most iconic landmarks and explore rarely seen spaces within Craig’s Royal Hotel.
Guests will have the opportunity to explore the basement, dining room, historic guest rooms, and upper levels, areas many visitors never experience. This small-group, story-led experience uncovers the layers of history woven through the building, from the working people who kept it running to the colourful characters who once stayed here.
Along the way, discover tales of fortunes tied to the racehorse Lightfoot, prophetic dreams linked to the hotel, notable visitors from Ballarat’s early gold rush years, and moments such as Dame Nellie Melba singing from the balcony. Ghost stories and local legends add another dimension to its rich past.
Developed exclusively for the Ballarat Heritage Festival, the experience concludes with a hosted Devonshire tea — a chance to reflect on the stories and enjoy the hotel’s long tradition of hospitality.
Looking for a deeper experience?
If you’re looking to explore beyond a single building, our signature experience offers a more immersive journey through Ballarat’s hidden places, historic interiors, and untold stories.