I really enjoyed it The staff were Great I went to the café to have some lunch and My experience was fantastic

Big Attraction Must Do For Tourists - Great Food @ Bakery - Get Old Style Photo Taken (Costume Provided) ..... so cute! The Bowling Alley is a must, as well as Candle Making; a visit to the School; going on the underground tour; a visit to the Lolly Shop; and of course, gold-panning. There are extra activities on during Victorian School-Term Holidays! read more

Whether you have kids or not, or perhaps you just love history... this is a fantastic place to visit. There are very few things in life better than an institution doing its very best to do something properly. Sovereign Hill's attention to detail and commitment to immerse the visitor in a true experience is nothing short of obsessive. The staff are dressed appropriately and they speak to one another appropriate to the era. The buildings are almost nail perfect replicas of real buildings that appeared on the main road and yet they smell 100 years old. The shops only serve authentic goods... there is no refridgeration... bottles are in ice and there is saw dust on the floors. The sweet shop only sells sweets made up the street. There are demonstrations and activities that will, I promise you, fill your day. This is the real deal and if you live in Australia or visiting from overseas you must see this. They deserve your patronage. read more

Sovereign Hill What a cool place. We attended with the kids (14 years and 15 Years) and my wife and I went with the view of it being a little boring for us.... Boy were we wrong. Don't get me wrong, its not Disneyland but is is a very cool place! It is a jump back in time, set perfectly with all the staff, building and activities set in a paused past. The gold panning, the musket firing, the underground mine tours... We really enjoyed it all. I went from a reluctant passenger to Sovereign Hill and a very pleased attendee... Well done to all the owners, managers, staff of Sovereign Hill. I recommend this place to anyone in the area. read more

Sovereign Hill tourist venue located in Ballarat provides a wonderful experience for children of all ages and adults alike. Tickets are amazing in the benefit provided in that they extend for a 24 hour period. This is a bonus as it is absolutely impossible to experience all that is on offer in one visit. For those on a first visit the opportunity to experience life as it was in the gold mining period is both unique and amazing. The township area is set up with a Main Street with a range of shops and services of the time including post office and banks and shops selling boiled sweets and other treats together with a range of cafes, restaurants and pop up food stands selling delicacies of the time. The gold mine itself is available for tours and it is possible to see gold pouring at regular intervals during each day. The gold panning area is always popular as beginners try their luck in search for that elusive piece of gold. The township allows visitors to experience home life with huts and tents set up as they would have been in that period. Beds are made and food cooking on the open fires. A carriage drawn by a team of draft horses takes visitors on rides around the area, however those who are interested must remember that booking is essential to avoid disappointment on the day as this event is much sought after. There are timed events throughout the day and we were fortunate to see a most entertaining Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime. Sovereign Hill provides an insight into trials and tribulations of early Australian life at the time of the gold rush. A must visit location!!!! read more

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Sovereign Hill bills itself as an outdoor museum that gives you a chance to experience a thriving Victorian city at the beginning of the Gold Rush in the 1800s. It is an absolute must-see for visitors of all ages if you're in the area, and should be on your top ten list of things to do while visiting Melbourne. Ballarat is only about an hour and a half away from Melbourne CBD by car and makes for an unforgettable day trip. At Sovereign Hill, you can go panning for gold (gold is added to the stream and most people find it quickly, and you get to keep what you find), go on a guided tour of a defunct gold mine, watch $140,000 worth of gold melted and poured before your eyes, check out gold nuggets at the museum, and also some non-gold-related activities, like watching candles and (delicious!) boiled lollies being made like they used to back in the day. The musket firing by the Red Coats is hilarious, loud, and was enjoyed even by my American boyfriend. The entire setup is recreated from actual photos and plans of the town as closely as possible, which you'll get to see at the museum. You can walk into quite a few of the stores where the goods, like brassware and candles, are made in the traditional way on site and are available for purchase. Oh, and the candle dipping is virtually foolproof and great for kids. Not a huge fan of the nine pin bowling (you have to set up your own skittles) but it's free, and personally I liked watching other people play and reading the signs on the walls. Admission is on the pricy side, but includes museum admission, and is definitely worth it for the unforgettable experience. I would only caution against the Blood on the Southern Cross Sound and Light Show which deserves its own review, but can be summed up as: You put in a lot of time and effort, I can tell, but please hire some friggen actors! read more

I have fond memories of visiting Sovereign Hill several times as a child. It seemed like every time an international family member would come to town we would end up taking them here to show them the Melbourne of ye olde times. From watching the horse shoe maker fit shoes to horses, to the wood turner and (my favourite) the boiled lolly shop store, it really was (and still is) a great day out for families. I recently planned a family weekend away at Sovereign Hill and dealt with Louise on the phone to book a package of accommodation, dinner and show for five of us. If there was a poster child for customer service, Louise would be it. She was patient speaking to me about the best options and made the entire process of booking and paying painless. It was one of those rare occasions when I got off the phone thinking "wow, that was a really good experience". Unfortunately we needed to cancel our trip at the last minute, but Louise once again demonstrated her care and attention to detail while dealing with my disappointed phone call. I simply called and said my first name and that I needed to cancel and Louise said "okay Tresna, I remember making that booking let me take care of that all for you". A couple of months after making the first call Louise still remembered me and didn't make me feel bad for the last minute cancellation, but rather empathised with the situation. If this is a sign of the customer service one can expect right across Soveriegn Hill these days, then I can't wait to make that trip. read more

Sovereign Hill is a fun day trip, no matter your age. This "outdoor museum" is a small town set during the 1850s gold rush that attracted people from around the world to Australia. It's a great learning experience that allows you to know a bit more about the history of the country and region. During your trip you'll see a gold molding demonstration, lollie making, live animals, and more. You'll even get the chance to make candles, pan for gold, and try your hand at old-fashion bowling. One downer is that it's fairly pricey to get in, and then on top of that you have to pay for the gold tours and horse carriage rides. By itself, the day park gets three stars from me, but I'm bumping it up to four because of the nighttime show. We also attended the Blood on the Southern Cross show at the end of the day. It starts out with dinner, which is really simple. You have an either or choice for what your main is--don't expect five-star dining here. However, the sounds and lights show is quite amazing. (I won't give much away, as it will ruin the surprise.) I do have to agree with a fellow reviewer--it wouldn't hurt to hire some actors. read more

Step back into Australia's past to the time of the Gold rush. This authentic Gold Mining town is a great day out. Pan for gold, look around the towns houses, buildings and steam pump engine barn. You can also have a guided tour of the gold mine. During the day you can see people from the past going about there daily buisness. Its a great day out for both kids and adults. read more

Loved the mine tour you get so much more than you paid for! The experience is great for both children and adults.

Visiting Sovereign Hill is one of my joys but would it hold the same attraction for a very busy 5yo grandson. Thankfully, yes! Two mine tours, talks about historic ways of living, candle making and panning for gold were the highlights of a bonza day out. Only caution, take your own food. What is there is very good though a little pricey and definitely for older tasted. We shall return. read more

Liked it. Paid $39 on living social for entry fee. I also loved sound of the gun which made it real. Loved the boiled lollies and the new York tearoom, read more

An excellent day out for the family! This is an outdoor museum showcasing what the small town was like during the 1850s gold rush. You get to see how the miners lived and you also have the chance to pan for gold (a lot of fun - and you never know your luck, so look closely for those gold specks!!) There's even an old bowling alley to have a go on. Great fun for the kids. Several stores are open to peruse and purchase items. The lolly shop is a MUST visit! The raspberry drops have always been my favourite, as are the horse head lollypops. Definitely have a ride on the Cobb&Co Coach - the clydesdale horses are such beautiful animals. The mine tour is also a great experience - it is dark.... so keep this in mind for young children (I know one of mine didn't like it at all!) Main Street is a lot of fun with a couple of shows, and the troopers are always fun to play/act with. Everyone is dressed up in period costumes, which makes everything come to life so much more. Definitely a must visit if you're in the Ballarat and Mebourne areas! It's a wonderful learning experience and showcases the region and what it's famous for. Ballarat is a beautiful town on a whole - so stay a night or two, visit Sovereign Hill, see the Blood on a Southern Cross show at night and explore Ballarat, Lake Wendouree/Botanic Gardens prior to heading off. read more

This was the best family outing ever! The recreation of a mining town is amazing and the interactivity just astounds me. If your there be shore to do one of those mining shows. read more

Go go go!!! Best lollies in the country, a wonderful family and tourist experience. Learn all there is to know about life back in the 1850's and the hardships the goldminers went through. Pan for actual gold yourself, explore the mines, make a candle, see a theatre show, enjoy an old fashioned sweet, watch real liquid gold set into a bullion and then have the chance to hold it - it's worth $100K! A terrific day out exploring, learning and having fun. Brilliant. read more

Maybe I expected way to much upon arrival but here I go! As a child, I always wanted to go to sovereign hill. Although, it's not what I expected at all. Upon arrival, we went to the blacksmith demonstration, interesting and intuitive to say the least, we then went exploring, into the period houses, post office, bank, general stores etc, the only thing which really caught my eye was the clothing store with amazingly, hand made, I assume, clothing which was eye catching. Although, The staff of sovereign hill don't really seem into the characters they're assigned! You see them casually talking to each other about general things up the end of sovereign hill (where the bowling is), very disheartening to see them gathered up there. Then I walk into another store, and I'm rudely watched by two staff who I seemed to interrupt their conversation! Hmm! For what you pay to get in, I expect to see on site demonstrations and acts! Not just staff walking around gassbagging! We then went panning for "gold" and watched the gold melting demonstration, interesting, but seen it before. The best part of the day, besides leaving , were the pigs who enlightened me much more on sovereign hill! I suppose younger kids 5-12 would enjoy sovereign hill Would not recommend read more

Worst Customer Service Ever. If you are elderly it going with relatives save your money. Treated my 80 year old grand mother and 60 year old aunt with contempt and refused to compromise when they sought a compromise on a pass they were given. Had to pay premium to enter and many shops closed down and neede to pay for other activities. Their refusal to help ruined my family's day. Grandmother had a pass to adults 4 kids refused to allow grandmother in lieu of 4 kids. Senior is 30 dollars and kids 25 each. No explanation or help!!! read more