Victoria · Australia
Where to stay in Ballarat
Ballarat is a city in Victoria, Australia, home to about 116,000 people. This guide covers 2 aparthotels in Ballarat, with about 203 rooms between them.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 2
- Best months
- October to April
- Nearest airport
- AVV76 km · Melbourne Avalon International Airport
- Currency
- AUDAustralian dollar
- Time zone
- Australia/Sydney
- Language
- Auslan, Australian English, English
About
About Ballarat
Ballarat ( BAL-ə-RAT) (Wathawurrung: balla arat) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.
The traditional owners of the land are the Wadawurrung people. Ballarat was named in 1837 by the Scottish settler Archibald Yuille who established the first settlement, a sheep run called Ballaarat, with the name derived from local Wathaurong Aboriginal words for the area, balla arat, thought to mean "resting place". The present spelling was officially adopted by the City of Ballarat in 1996. It is one of the most significant Victorian-era boomtowns in Australia.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Ballarat
See
- Art Gallery of Ballarat
- Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial
- Ballarat Botanical Gardens
- Ballarat Tramway Museum
- Ballarat Wildlife Park
- Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka
- Kryal Castle
- Lake Wendouree
- Sovereign Hill
- Blood on the Southern Cross
Do
- Begonia Festival
- Ballarat Heritage Weekend
- Ballarat Antique Fair
- Eureka Stadium
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Ballarat
2 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Quest Ballarat aparthotel | 107 |
| Quest Ballarat Station aparthotel | 96 |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Ballarat to stay in
There are many options for all budgets throughout Ballarat. Book ahead especially when there is a major event planned.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Ballarat
21 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Craig's Royal Hotel | 0.9 km | |
| George Hotel | 1902 | 0.9 km |
| Provincial Hotel | 1909 | 1.0 km |
| Reid's Coffee Palace | 1.0 km | |
| Ansonia on Lydiard | 0.9 km | |
| Begonia City Motor Inn | 4.7 km | |
| Best Western Plus Ballarat Suites | 2.6 km | |
| BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park | 6.3 km | |
| BIG4 Nrma Ballarat Holiday Park | 2.5 km | |
| Kryal Castle Ballarat | 9.7 km | |
| Lake Inn - Ballarat | 0.7 km | |
| Lake Wendouree Luxury Apartments on Grove | 1.1 km | |
| Lake Wendouree Luxury Apartments on Webster | 0.6 km | |
| Mercure Ballarat Hotel & Convention Centre | 2.8 km | |
| Oscars Hotel and Cafe Bar | 0.6 km | |
| Quality Inn Heritage on Lydiard | 0.9 km | |
| Quality Inn The George Hotel Ballarat | 0.9 km | |
| Seymours on Lydiard | 1.2 km | |
| Sovereign Park Motor Inn | 2.2 km | |
| Sovereign Views Apartments | 2.5 km | |
| The Provincial Boutique Hotel | 1.0 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Ballarat
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Ballarat are October to April. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; August is the wettest, with about 69 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Ballarat: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Melbourne Avalon International Airport (AVV), about 76 km from the city centre in a straight line; Melbourne Airport (MEL, 88 km) and Melbourne Essendon Airport (MEB, 95 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Ballarat is an easy 90-minute drive from Melbourne on the Western Freeway (M8). Alternatively, from Geelong take the southern section of the A300; from Bendigo and Castlemaine take the northern section of the same highway. The train station is in Lydiard Street in the centre of the city. Take a look around as Lydiard Street has one of the best examples of Victorian-era streetscapes in Australia.
Getting around
Most visitors will rent a car from Melbourne to travel in and around Ballarat. Car rental is also available in Ballarat through Budget & Thrifty.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
AVV · Melbourne Avalon International Airport
MEL · Melbourne Airport
MEB · Melbourne Essendon Airport
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Ballarat
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 2 places
of 2 places
of 2 places
of 2 places
of 2 places
of 2 places
Questions
Ballarat: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Ballarat?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Ballarat are October to April. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; August is the wettest, with about 69 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Ballarat?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Melbourne Avalon International Airport (AVV), about 76 km from the city centre in a straight line; Melbourne Airport (MEL, 88 km) and Melbourne Essendon Airport (MEB, 95 km) are also within reach.
Are there accessible hotels in Ballarat?
2 places in this guide list accessible rooms.
What currency is used in Ballarat?
Australian dollar (AUD).
Nearby
Destinations near Ballarat
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.