If you like art and culture...
Ballarat
If you’re keen to indulge your creative side, a trip to Ballarat
is in order. Ballarat has always valued the arts highly, so it’s hardly surprising that many creatives call the city home. Visit Gems and Jewels ( 1/424 Sturt St, Ballarat Central 3350. 03 5333 4715. gemsandjewels.com.au. Mon-thu 9-5.30pm; Fri 9am-6pm; Sat 9-3pm)
for intricately crafted jewellery, Parker Knives Australia ( facebook. com/parkerknivesaustralia/) for beautiful custom-made knives, Wootten ( Shed 1/20 Elizabeth St, Delacombe 3356. 03 9510 6503. wootten.com.au) for leather shoes and goods and Backyard Beekeeping Ballarat ( 306 Errard St South, Ballarat Central 3350. 0419 673 319) for a monthly beekeeping workshop.
No trip to Ballarat is complete without a tour of the heritagelisted Art Gallery of Ballarat,
Australia’s oldest and largest regional gallery ( 40 Lydiard St N, Ballarat 3350. 03 5320 5858. artgalleryofballarat.com.au. Daily 10am-5pm). There’s an impressive collection of Australian paintings and sculptures to work through, as well as touring exhibitions. A flotilla of exhibitions, talks, workshops and events is taking over the historic Gold Rush town for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale ( until Oct 20). This year, the festival will be jointly headlined by Chinese photographeractivist Liu Bolin and Indigenous Australian artist Dr Fiona Foley.
Castlemaine
In recent years, Castlemaine and its surrounding towns have developed a reputation for being home to artists, musicians, writers and creatives; the region punches way above its weight when it comes to cultural festivals and activities.
The Castlemaine Art Museum holds significant works of artists from the 20th century, plus it’s free ( 14 Lyttleton St, Castlemaine 3450. 03 5472 2292. castlemainegallery. com. Thu-sun noon-5pm). Head to Theatre Royal, an espresso and wine bar that also houses a cinema and gig space ( 30 Hargraves St, Castlemaine 3450. 03 5472 1196. theatreroyalcastlemaine.com. au. Tue-fri 2pm-late; Sat, Sun 10am-late).
Stop by the Mill too, which started out as an old wool mill and has transformed into a giant hub for fine food and artisan manufacturing ( 1-9 Walker St, Castlemaine 3450. 1300 985 001. millcastlemaine.com.au. Mon-thu 7am-5pm; Fri 7am-4pm; Sat, Sun 8am-5pm).