This self-guided walk is an introduction to some of Ballarat's history and heritage.

The area included covers approximately 1 km and will take an hour of your time.

The walk includes maps which indicate the locality of the buildings and streets described below. The walk begins immediately outside the Visitor Centre.

Was erected by the Ballarat Historical Society to commemorate the finding of gold at Poverty Point on the 21st of August 1851. It also lists record gold yields, nuggets and the richest recorded yields of both alluvial and quartz mines. The replica gold nugget is the 'Welcome Nugget', found in Ballarat in 1858. The nugget weighed 2,217oz and was sold for £10,500.

2. Sturt St.

Evelyn Pitfield Shirley Sturt (brother of explorer Charles Sturt) was a Police Magistrate in Melbourne in 1849 and superintendent of police 1850. In 1854 he was appointed to the commission of inquiry into the trial of Scobie, and the Bentley's hotel affair. An event considered to be a catalyst for the Eureka uprising.

The street is 3 chains wide (60 metres). The centre of the street was planted with bluegums in the 1860's and fenced to define the area as a garden which included a central pathway. At the turn of the century electric trams flanked the central gardens. This added to the confusion of traffic which was already hazardous as traffic moved both ways on either side of Sturt St. This meant the trams ran head on into a stream of traffic and vehicles trying to cross Sturt Street had to contend with six lines of traffic, as well as plagues of dust and mud as the road remained unsealed. Eventually the present day one way traffic was adopted with the trams moving in the same direction as the traffic.

The last tram ran in 1971. The Ballarat Vintage Tramway is housed in the South Gardens reserve on the western shore of Lake Wendouree. You can enjoy a 2.5 kilometre ride on an 80 year old tram on weekends, public holidays and Wednesday afternoons.

3.Titanic Memorial Bandstand 1913

Is an Edwardian design by C.W.Clegg. There are only two memorials to the Titanic tragedy in Australia, the other is in Broken Hill.

The bandstand along with its central plantation, its mature trees, early iron seats and gardens is one of the best Edwardian landscapes in Victoria.

4. Mechanics' Institute Library.

The Ballarat Mechanics' Institute at 117-119 Sturt St, right opposite Camp St, is one of Ballarat's oldest institutions. The building was constructed in two stages in 1860 and 1869. It is on the register of historic buildings. The subscription library has operated continuously for 140 years and is popular with its over 500 current members. The Institute has a nationally significant collection of 19"' century print material including runs of many newspapers from the 1850s on and many journals and monographs on scientific and general interest subjects. Guided tours of the building are held in Heritage Week. Clubs and service organisations are welcome to make arrangements for a tour. The Institute has excellent spaces available which may be leased for meetings, recital and displays.

5. Former Unicorn Hotel (So called because of the Unicorn statue which once adorned the roof)

The original Unicorn Hotel was built of timber in 1856. The hotel was replaced by brick in 1866. The design of the Hotel is of importance because it is rare to have a two storied verandah of this kind built before the turn of the century and it is the only remaining example in Victoria.

Many of Ballarat's streets were named after government officials. C. I. P. Lydiard, was the first Police Magistrate in Ballarat.

7. Former National Mutual Insurance Company Offices 1905

(Allan Bros., Jewelers)

This building was designed by J. J. and J. E. Clarke who were also the architects of the Queen Victoria Hospital and the City Baths in Melbourne. The octagonal roof structure originally carried a large dome. The style is reminiscent of Venetian Gothic buildings.

8. Former Union Bank of Australia 1863/4

This building is considered to be one of the architect Leonard Terry's finest designs and is protected by the Historic Buildings Act. The style is Greek revival.

9. Craig’s Royal Hotel (Bath's Hotel)

Constructed 1862-1890 it underwent extensive work on the portico and interior in 1901. The site was bought by Thomas Bath (Bath Lane) in 1853. He was issued with the first hotel licence and constructed the original timber hotel. Bath's hotel was the site of the Royal Commission into the Eureka Stockade uprising. The hotel was one of the first buildings to be lit by gas, made from gum leaves and oil.

The hotel was sold to Walter Craig in 1857. Guests included Prince Albert, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Clarence, the Duke and Duchess of York ( King George V and Queen Mary) the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Dame Nellie Melba (opera singer) and the livery stable behind the hotel was run by Adam Lindsay Gordon (poet) in 1867/8. Gordon's cottage has been removed and reconstructed in the North Botanical gardens. It is now an Art and Craft Gallery. Open daily during October to April (10am-4pm) and on weekends from May to September.

Opened as the Academy of Music in 1875 and restored to its present condition and renamed Her Majesty's in 1990. It is the oldest continuously operating, purpose built theatre in Australia, still in use.

Her Majesty's Theatre has been the home of the Royal South Street Society and their famous Grand National Eisteddfod of Australia since 1896.

Visitors are welcome to view the interior.(when it is not in use) Please make enquiries at MajesTix office in the foyer.

As you continue moving South along Lydiard St. note the streetscape opposite.

11. Lynn’s Chamber. 1870 (Top storey in 1898) (Jens-Gaunt Real Estate.)

Adam Loftus Lynn came to Ballarat with the gold rush and was the first solicitor to practice here. Mr Lynn appeared for the Scobie family at the inquest of James Scobie's murder, an important event leading up to the Eureka Stockade affair.

12. Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King.

Considered one of Ballarat's earliest stone buildings. Construction began in 1854 and the English Gothic style church was finished in 1868.

Continue walking south towards the roundabout.

13. Wesleyan Church 1883 (Corner of Lydiard St. and Dana St.)

This elaborate, patterned brick church with its dual frontage is an important feature of the streetscape. The interior features amphitheatre style seating.

The first church school erected on this site by the Wesleyan's slid down the hill.

14. Dana St., Captain Henry Edward Pulteney Dana was assigned to a detachment of native police. They served at Ballarat briefly, collecting licence fees.

As you stand on this corner and look down the Dana St. Hill, you will be able to see where some of Ballarat's goldfields were. The valley below with its gravel lined creeks and gullies was the first to give up its riches.

Deep lead mining under the escarpment you are standing on was the scene of subterranean warfare. When one mining company encroached on anothers claim, stinkbombs of burning sulphur were thrown into rival tunnels. If this did not evict the trespassers, the rival miners used fists, picks and shovels to drive out the invaders.

Further along Lydiard St. you will see the School of Mines Ballarat (SMB) and the remains of the Ballarat Gaol.

The school was initiated in 1870 by the Mining Board who were interested in providing a scientific and practical education in mining and related fields. The school became famous for its science, engineering, metallurgy, chemistry and geology courses, helping to spread mining expertise all over Australia. When the mining industry began to fade, the School Council changed the curriculum to concentrate on trades and opened an Art School.

The Gaol was built in 1857 and closed in 1965. One of the more famous offenders who stayed in this gaol was Captain Moonlight (Andrew Scott). He escaped by scaling the wall. At least a dozen men were executed here. Today the remaining buildings are used by the University of Ballarat, SMB campus.

The daughter of the Gaol's Governor, Bella Guerin, was the first woman to graduate in Australia and the first female graduate of Melbourne University, in 1885. She studied Language and Logic.

17. Sugg Lamp (Replica)

The Sugg lamp recently replicated by the Council is a magnificent addition to the streetscape.

The lamps which were on many intersections in the central business area can be seen in early photographs.

18. 50 Lydiard St. 1859 (McCormick's Solicitors)

This richly decorated building is a unique example of a small office of Victorian design with ornate decorative motifs.

19. Chancery House 1889. (Byrne, Jones & Torney)

A corner building with Renaissance revival design given to both facades.

Continue your walk to Craig's Royal Hotel portico which affords an excellent view of Her Majesty's Theatre (No 10) Note the Lyre which crowns the parapet. Continue walking north and cross Sturt St. to the centre median strip.

You are now standing near the Burke and Wills Memorial, where a hundred years ago cabbies sat and waited, with their patient horses, for fares.

A meeting was convened in 1861 which settled on the fine sum of a £1,000 to honour these explorers. William John Wills grew up in Ballarat, his father was a Ballarat physician, who tended the wounded after the Eureka battle. The City of Ballarat Council restored the monument in 1994.

Opposite the fountain is the other Replica Sugg Lamp, and

21. Robert Burns Statue. (Scottish poet 25/1/1759 - 21/7/1796)

The Carrara marble statue, designed by Mr Thomas Thompson of Ballarat was commissioned by a committee chaired by Mr Thomas Stoddart in 1884 and was produced in Italy. It was unveiled on April the 21st 1887. The statue depicts a young man with his dog. The granite base is inscribed on four sides with lines from his poems.

As you continue north along Lydiard St., by crossing to the other side of Sturt St., you will see a series of four bank buildings designed by Leonard Terry. The banks all have different facades which complement each other.

22. Former Bank of Australasia 1864

23. Former National Bank 1862 (Michael Ronaldson MP Office)

This bank with its three storeys is the tallest of the four banks.

24. Former Colonial Bank of Australasia 1860 (Baird & Mc Gregor)

25. Former Bank of NSW 1862

26. Post Office

Italian palazzo style built in two sections. The first in 1864 and the second section with tower in 1885. The tower has five levels and an arched carriageway ground floor entrance.

27. Former Mining Exchange 1888 (site of the old Government Treasury)

This imposing building was built to replace the Sturt St. stock exchange sites. The imposing hall is lined with forty offices where sharebrokers, and mining agents sold shares in goldmines and controlled the city's wealth. The Exchange recorded 98 members when it opened with 108 mines from the Ballarat district on its stock lists.

The ornate verandah on the Mining Exchange you can see today, was reconstructed from photographs and replaced in 1987.

Continue along Lydiard St. to the

28. George Hotel 1902

(The original building, The George Inn occupied this site in 1853) The three storey balconied iron laced verandah, makes the George unique among hotels.

29. Old Colonists Hall 1888

The Old Colonist's Club was formed by old miner's, who meet in the 1870's and vowed to : help one another, to relieve sick members, to assist members in distress and to provide decent burials to all members.

This building is on the site of the old Ballarat police barracks and stables of the gold escorts. The facade has beautiful balustrading and the relief letters and coat of arms can be seen in the centre pediment which reflects the miners' ethos of comradeship and unity. They have never lost sight of the original purpose of the Club. In 1997 the Old Colonists opened their doors to female membership.

30. Alexandria Tea Rooms 1875

Built as a possible Club for the Commercial Club of Ballarat. It became very fashionable Tea Rooms and was famous for its meringue sponges.

31. Ballarat Fine Art Gallery 1887/8

The first provincial art gallery in Australia. The gallery was officially opened by Alfred Deakin in 1890. The Gallery's collection includes works by T S Gill, the Lindsays, the Heidelberg School and the original Eureka Flag.

32. Mair St. Captain William Mair was both a Police Magistrate and Inspector of Police, arriving in Ballarat in 1851.

Cross Mair St. and continue walking north towards the railway crossing.

33. Former Union Fidelity Trustees Co. of Australia 1887 (Cuthberts, Barristers & Solicitors.)

This building was the former Ballarat Palace Hotel. This can be seen written, in red paint, on the risers on the front steps.

The building was converted to offices in 1918. Cuthberts, Barristers & Solicitors, was founded by Sir Henry Cuthbert MLC. He was the post master General, Commissioner for Customs and Minister for Justice. He was on the Committee of the District Orphan Asylum, laid the foundation stone for the Mechanics Institute in 1860 and took part in constitutional talks leading to Federation.

The site was originally considered for a Temperance Hall. Prince Alfred laid the foundation stone during his visit to Ballarat in December 1867. The hall was never built and in 1913 the foundation stone was re-inscribed and relaid. The warehouse was known as 'Irwin's Buildings' and during the second World War was used as a hostel and canteen for thousands of service men. The building was occupied in 1949 by St. Paul's School and the inscription was changed again. Today it is the office of the Ballarat Children's Home and Family Services.

35. Provincial Hotel 1909

(Former Irwins Hotel,1854) Flamboyant Edwardian design using a mix of cement render and red face brick work.

36. Railway Station 1862-1889

The bluestone goods and carriage sheds, the railway yards, the crossing, the wheel operated sector gates, the signal box, the semaphore and the disc signals are prime examples of late 19th Century railway systems.

37. Former Reid’s Coffee Palace 1886-1888 (Tawana Lodge Complex)

This building remained intact until 1977, when it was extensively renovated. A highlight of the building is the hand-painted ceiling, wall panels and lead light glazing in the central stairwell.

38. Former Dunn's Warehouse 1861/2 ( Cheers )

39. Former J.J. Goller & Co. Warehouse 1861/2 ( Ballarat Community Corrections Centre)

Gollers Wholesale Wine & Spirit Merchants established in 1855.

40 Former Lister & Angel Warehouse 1868.(Karingal Karpets)

Note the masks on the keystones above the windows.

41. Former Pratt's Building 1869 ( Kelsall's Wool & Skin Store ) (Today Bluestone Antiques)

A free-standing corner building of rough-faced stone work. It is included on the Historic Buildings Register.

Continue your walking tour by turning into Camp St.

42. Camp St. So called because it was the site of the police camp in the 1850's.

The Government Camp was established here on the edge of the escarpment because it gave the troopers an open view of the diggings below. In 1854 Police Inspector Evans reported that the goldfields were reasonably calm given the size of the population (Ballarat's population had increased from 50 to 50,000 in five years) Drink was the major problem with both miners and police constables. There were 76 police to 28,000 miners. Within months Evans had dismissed more than a dozen constables for drunkenness and violence.

The troopers began their march to the Eureka barricade from here, early in the morning on December the 3rd, 1854. The route believed to be taken by the troopers on that fateful morning is known as the Eureka Trail. Maps of this 3.5 kilometre walk are available at the Visitor Information Centre.

43. Former YMCA 1908 (corner of Camp and Field St.)

The building was opened by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin.

The YMCA was formed in the 1880's and this building was the home of Ballarat's YMCA from 1908 until 1994.This Edwardian style building features a pepperpot dome and an impressive sheer wall disappearing down Field St.

44. Old Ballarat Police Station 1884-86

This building is considered unique as a police station because of the use of decorative cast iron usually used on residential buildings.

45. Wilson House 1868

46. Trades Hall. 1887.

Features a highly decorated baroque facade. The interior features cantilevered bluestone stairs and timber lined ceilings.

47. Old Court House. 1903

48. Former Free Masons Hall. 1872-74

The hall was known as the Electra Hall when it was the social club premises of SEC employees. The building is of Greek revival composition and originally had an elaborate porch.

Moving on you will come to the new Court House built in 1941

49. Court House 1941.

This building is a complete change of style in this otherwise Victorian street. The building is also sited to face Sturt St. rather than Camp St.

50. Former Library Building. 1901 / 1909

The City of Ballarat Free Library was founded in 1887. The library occupied this building from 1901 till 1994. The Ballarat Library is now at 178 Doveton St. North. The library houses The Australiana Research Collection. Resources available include, microfiche indexes, births deaths & marriages, Victorian Probate, Electoral Rolls, directories, newspapers from 1854, photographs, oral histories and special collections.

Continue your walk by turning into Sturt St. again and moving east, down the hill.

51. Former State Savings Bank. 1872 (Victorian Business Centre Ballarat )

The Ballarat State Bank was established in Ballarat in1858 and the site remained the State Bank's until it closed in 1995. The building is an elegant Renaissance design.

52. Chamber of Commerce. 1859

The ground floor houses four shops. Before walking under this verandah note the unusual first floor window details, which are alternately triangular and curved. This building is also noteworthy for its early construction date.

53. Irish Murphy's. 1907

The original Hotel, the Camp Hotel, was built in 1861 on the site of the Little Engine Mine. The Art Nouveau Building you see now was erected in 1907 and remained intact until 1998 when it became Irish Murphy's.

54. The Former Ballarat Courier. 1947 (Northgate Communications)

An example of the new colours available for bricks and glazed ceramic tiles.

On the opposite side of Sturt St. is a remarkable building of a Flemish Baroque style.

55. 23 Sturt St. 1891

The external finishes of red paint, cement, blue tiles, and face brick make this building an important and unique example of the use of colour in architecture. Irish Murphy's original art nouveau design incorporated green tiles.

56. 8 Hour Day Monument. 1880

The working men of Ballarat erected this Monument in honour of Thomas Galloway, the founder of the 8 hour system in Victoria.

Before crossing back to the north side of Sturt St. note the

57. ANA Building. (The Stag)

Note the unusual decorative features. These include statues of an emu, a kangaroo and a map of Australia.

and on the opposite side of the street (south) near 23 Sturt St. (No55)

58. Former Sutton's Music Store. 1891 (GASMART)

This building was once the highest commercial building in Ballarat.(22mtrs/72ft) The founder's son, Henry Sutton was an amateur inventor who dabbled with the telephone at the same time as Bell and later built himself a television. He also invented a hydraulic lift to accommodate this building. He did not bother to patent any of his work.

The pedestrian crossing at the foot of Sturt St. leads the visitor into the area which was originally known as Bridge St. and was until recently (1981) flowing with traffic.

The generous proportions of Sturt St. come to an abrupt halt at the Bridge Mall because here the thoroughfare had to cross the Yarrowee River.

Until 1854 Bridge St. was a swamp with a raised track of earth down the middle which served as a road. The Bridge narrowed the road and a collection of makeshift shops and hotels grew along its borders. These premises had to be lifted from time to time and their foundations raised to accommodate the 'sludge' which built up, the cause of the regular flooding. When the course of the Yarrowee was altered the shops were again raised and packed underneath with stones and mullock.(Discarded waste material from mining.) It is believed the Mall area is almost 3.4 metres (11 feet) above the original ground level.

Walking Ballarat's Heritage........Self-Guided Walk No1. ©

Prepared by Jennifer Barnes 1998