I’m lucky enough to live in the city that’s responsible for Heritage Weekend. It’s my favourite event of the year and my family get super involved every year. Here are my top picks for what to do over Heritage Weekend. The theme of this year’s weekend is ‘Mystery’, with a lot of inspiration coming from the Doctor Blake Mysteries TV show.
1. Doctor Blake Mysteries at the Gold Museum – Behind the Seams
The Gold Museum currently has on display a collection of costumes, sets and props from the hit TV series and during Heritage Weekend there will be a special talk featuring the minds behind the show’s clothes and hair. This event is on the Saturday at 2pm, but if you can’t make the talk you can always head to the exhibition at any point throughout the weekend. More info…
2. 1950s Best Dressed Cocktail and Dance Party
This awesome event will have classic 1950s tunes and will be hosted by Charlotte Smith of the Darnell Collection. Guest celebrity judges will include Tara Moss and Jacinta Tynan. If you can’t make the cocktail party, you can also look into one of the many Darnell Collection fashion parades held over the weekend. The parades are always informative and interesting and the clothes featured are brilliant. The cocktail party is 6pm on the Saturday, but the parades are all weekend. More info…
I’m biased about this event because I run it, but every year a group of cyclists dress in tweed and ride through the Ballarat streets. This year the ride is about 11km long and visits some iconic Ballarat sights and streets, finishing in the CBD for a morning tea and tweed social. There is something incredibly romantic and nostalgic about the attire, the cool autumn air, the leaves crunching under your tires and then warming up afterwards with a cup of tea. The ride is 10am on the Saturday and the morning tea is at Sutton’s House of Music from 10.45am. Booking for both are essential. More info…
4. The Steam Train
Every year I do a photo shoot at the steam train. I adore the train. The ride is bliss and I can never decide what to wear for the photos. The beautiful old train station is the perfect host for the train. The ride is short but so wonderfully comfortable in the old cabins. Steam rushes past the window as the train moves. It’s one of many fun rides that happen throughout the weekend. There are also horse and carriage rides as well as double-decker bus rides. Trains leave from the Ballarat station. More info…
5. Perfume Masterclass and High Tea
Ballarat is lucky enough to be home to Sweet Fern, an incredible perfumery, regionally located. The perfumery offers perfume masterclasses where you can learn about fragrance and understand what your own tastes are. This year, they are running 3 perfume masterclasses over the weekend, including one on the Sunday which includes a high tea at Craig’s Royal Hotel. Check out Sweet Fern for more details. More info…
There are dozens of things to do over Heritage Weekend, I have just cherry picked the ones that stand out most to me. To see the full program, check out the Heritage Weekend website.
You can browse my blog posts from previous years of Heritage Weekend here.
– L
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