Art and Culture in Ballarat: Galleries, the Begonia Festival and the Goldfields Scene

Ballarat has a cultural depth unusual for a city of its size, rooted in the gold rush wealth that funded the Art Gallery and a series of Lydiard Street heritage buildings that form one of Australia's finest intact Victorian streetscapes. The Art Gallery of Ballarat on Lydiard Street North is the centrepiece, with one of the largest regional art collections in Australia including works by Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton and Rupert Bunny. Her Majesty's Theatre on Lydiard Street South is an 1875 heritage venue running professional and community performing arts programs. The Ballarat Begonia Festival in March is the city's signature community event, transforming the botanical gardens and city with begonia displays, free entertainment and market events. The Ballarat Goldfields Heritage experience, connecting Sovereign Hill and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka, is a significant cultural and history offering. The Federation University Gallery runs exhibition programs accessible to the public.