Take tour through a city icon

HOW much do you know about Ballarat’s Town Hall?

Free, guided tours have returned to the historic building following a pause during the pandemic, and now take place every Wednesday and Friday at 2pm.

The tour, which was launched in 2018, highlights many of the building’s rooms from its marble-lion guarded entrance up to the first-floor foyer and through to the Trench Room, Mayor’s Room and council chambers.

Hall keeper Rob McVitty said the building is steeped in Ballarat’s origins.

“We tried to recreate Town Hall with that sense of 1800s furniture. The paintwork is also meant to be kept as close as possible to when the building was first built,” he said.

“The tiles in the foyer came from England and have been here for over 100 years. Interestingly, if you look over at the windows over the stairs you’ll also see Ballarat spelt with two As.

“That comes from the Aboriginal word which means ‘resting place’ or ‘bended elbow’.”

The tour highlights each section of Town Hall’s connection to Ballarat’s history such as the Japanese garden marking the municipality’s relationship with sister city Inagawa established 20 years ago.

The Mayor’s Room is often used to host visitors and includes an autograph book signed by people like Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1870 after the original town hall burnt down about a decade prior, and stemmed from the development of the Trench Room space in 1860.

While many of the items on display were pulled from storage when the tours were first established.

For those unable to attend in-person, the tour is available in audio form which can be accessed via the Historic Urban Landscape Ballarat website as well as 10 QR codes placed throughout the building.

A virtual tour is also available, giving people the ability to see into the Town Hall tower’s Alfred bells which was closed to public access about six years ago.

“Each bell weighs about four-and-a-half tonnes each,” Mr McVitty said.

“We have bellringers every second Sunday of the month to do a ring of the peal. They also ring it when there’s a new mayor and on special occasions.”

Each tour is capped at five people.