Take a tour back in time

***Please note that due to current COVID-19 conditions, tours of Ballarat Town Hall have been suspended***

LOCALS and visitors alike are invited to take an exclusive, behind-the-scenes peek at one of Ballarat’s oldest and grandest buildings – its Town Hall.

The guided tours operate twice a week from 2pm to 3pm, commencing at the Ballarat Information Centre and proceeding to level one after visitors are given a brief history of the building.

The Town Hall’s council chambers, Mayor’s Room, Trench Room and the A Hall are all among the numerous spaces open to visitors who opt to join the tours.

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said the tours will give people the chance to experience what the Town Hall was like during the late 1860s, with many of the building’s magnificent features retained, along with some of the original furniture.

“It’s a great chance to see one of Ballarat’s most beautiful buildings up close and to really get an appreciation of the magnificent goldrush architecture and furnishings,” he said.

Originally built in 1856 but burnt to the ground three years later, the classical revival-style Ballarat Town Hall is one of a few “symmetrical” town hall buildings in Victoria. The current building was constructed according to the designs of three architects following an 1868 competition.

Tours can be booked via bit.ly/3ysDd5Q.