Ballarat we love you!

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter Alice and I hit the road to Ballarat, Victoria.

Just an hour and a half west of Melbourne, I’d never been before, so was more than a bit excited for my first experience of this city that combines so much grandeur, history, diversity and an absolutely thumping food/wine/culture scene.

We were there to co-host an event with Kirby Kaye of Settler and Sons and Sophie Welton of Grounded Pleasures. A dinner in the paddock at Kirby’s farm (which is about an hour from Ballarat).

These lovely ladies were kind enough to invite me down to their part of the world to do an event in celebration of my new book, of course I jumped at the opportunity and we combined forces and things to make it a really special event.

And I have to say at this point, the most enormous thank you to Kirby, who cooked for a solid week (with four young children and too many dogs and chooks and horses to count) also to care for. And her husband Jack who moved furniture, cleared and pushed up a bonfire and basically helped make it all happen. These events are a huge amount of work and in this case, most of it was done by this dynamic little team.

Below are a bunch of photos from our dinner in the paddock. And also from our adventures around the town of Ballarat itself. And because I only managed to spend such a brief couple of days in the area, I also asked Kirby and Sophie, two seriously clued up locals, for their picks of where to eat, drink and play while in Ballarat. Please read on for more!

And one more note. I want to say a huge thank you to Visit Ballarat for organising our accommodation while in town. We were very very very generously put up at Ballarat Premier Appartments, and please – if you are planning a visit here and keen to stay in a historic mansion, converted with every possible mod con, in the centre of town and with self-catering facilities, wrap around verandahs, soaring ceilings, sparkly chandeliers and many more pros, please do consider spoiling yourself and staying here.

Before I hand you over to the local expertise of Sophie and Kirby, here are a few of the places we visited and loved in Ballarat;

The Art Gallery of Ballarat

The Art of Ballarat Gallery – fabulous collection, some of it displayed in one of the best hangings I’ve come across ever, right at the entrance (see pic above). We sadly missed the ‘Becoming Modern’ exhibition (it opened the week after we left) but I’d love to go back and see this celebration of Australian female artists from 1920-1950. The gallery shop is a great showcase of local talent as well (ceramics, prints, fabrics etc).

Kitteleys

This cosy, gorgeous cafe (below left) is just inside the art gallery on historic Lydiard St was a winner for cake and chai (Grounded Pleasures of course!). Just the spot to be on a cold Saturday morning and the perfect place to start or finish an explore of the gallery upstairs.

Collins Booksellers Ballarat

Just down the road is one of the loveliest book shops I’ve had the pleasure to hang out in. Collins Ballarat is located in one of the town’s most historic buildings (and that’s saying something!) and thanks to its recent facelift, feels just like being in the Hogwarts library or at least a book shop from Diagon Alley! The staff are super knowledgable and the huge kids section makes this a truly lovely place to spend a few hours browsing, talking and reading good books. Oh, and they also have a load of signed copies of mine in there too!

Webster’s Market and Cafe

Check out the above breakfast ‘tasting plate’! This was our breakfast on day one in Ballarat at Webster’s Market and Cafe – their coffee is pretty good too.

The Local Cafe

Alice and I finished our time in Ballarat with such a good breakfast at the Local Cafe – my kind of cafe. Homemade cakes, pastries and a tiny kitchen putting out super tasty, generous, loved up food. We felt like locals the minute we walked in to a big bright greeting and sat down in the sunny, comfy space for breakfast.

Sophie Welton’s Ballarat

I met Sophie some years ago when she came to a Local is Lovely workshop and thanks to the magic of Instagram, we have stayed in touch and on each others’ radar ever since. Sophie and her partner Craig run their business Grounded Pleasures from Ballarat (their HQ is one of the most gorgeous work spaces I’ve come across by the way!) and their range of hot chocolates (the peppermint and chilli are my faves), cocoa, vanilla and chai tea are all made with love and to the highest of standards. And at our paddock dinner, oh so appropriately, they also launched brand new baby; Grounded Pleasures marshmallows. And they are, of course, the perfect match to those gorgeous hot chocolates. Sophie is a fabulous advocate for her home town and here below shares some of her local faves….

Your favourite place for coffee in Ballarat?

There are so many great places for coffee in Ballarat nowadays, however, if I have to pick just one…. I can’t go past FIKA Coffee Brewers, who are coincidently, just a few metres away from our Grounded HQ warehouse, here in Central Ballarat (perfect for quick dash out in the wintry Ballarat weather, where it lightly snowed today would you believe – in Autumn!). The coffee is always spot on, every time.

Two places you always take visitors when they come to town?

I love taking visitors to the Art Gallery of Ballarat (as I did with you Sophie!), they have an amazing art collection in a beautiful building. It also houses one of my very favourite Ballarat cafe’s, Kittelty’s at the Art Gallery (you can’t leave without trying Sara Kittelty’s lemon meringue cake, it is just delicious).

Most of my visitors have a little one or two in tow, so we always head to Sovereign Hill. I saw the new AURA show recently, which was brilliant, I highly recommend it. We also make sure the guests pop into the lolly shop for a jar of raspberry drops or two!

The best spot for a pre or post dinner vino?

A new kid on the block is Lola, part of the Provincial Hotel near the Ballarat Station. The interiors are just gorgeous, and we recently popped in for sweet treat and dessert wine (so good!!).

Where should we go for retail therapy?

Foundry 411 is my very favourite – Liz does the most amazing job of selecting beautiful homewares, giftware and clothing. I recently went in for a gift and walked out with some amazing society inc pendants, a Nancybird dress and elderflower hand wash (whoops!) 😉

And what about a fun night out with some friends, what’s your pick?

I can’t go past Mitchell Harris, the wine list and food is always delicious. Try the Mitchell Harris Sabre, it’s a winner ( it’s also a great spot for a cocktail or two!!).

 

Kirby Kaye’s Ballarat

Kirby and I also met at a past workshop and I have since followed – with admiration and great interest – her journey establishing Settler and Sons, their program of events at and stories from the family farm an hour from Ballarat. And have also been in constant wonder at how she achieves all she does while also caring for their four small children! Kirby is a wonderful cook, gardener and creator of beautiful spaces and here she shares her favourite places to eat, drink, shop and play in her town…

Your favourite place for coffee in Ballarat?

We are so spoiled for choice in Ballarat but my go to cafes for a guaranteed great coffee (and cake of course!) are Kittelty’s at the beautiful Ballarat Art Gallery, The Local Cafe and FIKA.

Two places you always take visitors when they come to town?

I like to show off our picturesque Pyrenees wine region (about an hour out of Ballarat). A day spent tripping around our cellar doors such as Blue Pyrenees, Taltarni, Sally’s Paddock and Mount Langi Ghiran is topped off by dinner at The Avoca, a country gastropub with fabulous food and an epic drinks list.

The best spot for a pre or post dinner vino?

That’s an easy one- Mitchell Harris Wine Bar. Great wines, food and atmosphere.

Where should we go for retail therapy?

The Foundry for beautifully curated homewares, gifts and clothing. And Avalon Nursery for the gardening addict, like me!

What about a fun night out with some friends? What’s your pick?

Meigas Tapas Bar and Restaurant. Cracking food and wine with a super fun vibe and a short walk to Mitchell Harris for those post dinner vinos.

I love this pic of Sophie, my Alice and gorgeous Liv setting up for our lunch. And want to take a moment here to shout out a big thank you to Liv who came along – all day and night – to help us with this lunch. She ferried people/food/gear to and from the house to the paddock constantly and always had that beautiful big smile on her face. Thank you Liv. And if you have a moment, and like learning about baking, fermenting, preserving and living a good life on the land, please check out Liv’s blog too. 

 

And to finish, a huge thank you to these guys from Amherst wines for coming along, braving the cold and pouring such beautiful wine for us all evening. Their Chardonnay was my favourite.