Dylan Shaless, Federal Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson and Jakob Goetz at Kryal Castle's reopening.
HEAR YE! The Land of Kryal is officially open for visitors.
The intrigued and the renaissance enthusiasts came from afar for Kryal Castle’s grand relaunch at the weekend.
Exhaustion almost got the better of Kryal Castle commercial operations manager Damian Muller by mid-afternoon Saturday as he tried to gauge the opening day’s takings.
Staff had been working more than 15-hour days to get ready for this moment.
But Mr Muller’s initial impression of takings was good.
“Absolutely. It went really well. It’s been a big day,” Mr Muller said.
And does he think Kryal Castle has made a great mark back on the Ballarat tourist map?
“Absolutely.”
Ballarat Regional Tourism director Stuart Benjamin was impressed with the fantasy land.
“We’re really pleased. There’s such a good number of people out here,” Mr Benjamin said.
“Kryal Castle fits in with all our other Ballarat attractions.
“We really support the new owners of Kryal Castle, the investment they have made and the risks they have taken in reopening the park.”
Kryal Castle was added to BRT’s Ballarat Pass – a special pass to the city’s top tourist attractions – almost a fortnight ago.
Likened to the Gold Coast’s three-park superpass, Ballarat Pass has been available since Boxing Day, from the city’s Visitor Information Centre, and also features discounted admission to Sovereign Hill and Ballarat Wildlife Park and value-added benefits at other regional tourist spots.
Mr Benjamin said BRT was working hard to entice visitors to spend three-day weekends in Ballarat and Kryal Castle definitely helped in the lure, assisted by the popularity in Harry Potter and also Game of Thrones.
Kryal’s King Arlen and Queen Cordelia oversaw the opening ceremony before they were escorted out to the jousting yard where Sir Baldwin Silverhand pummelled his rival.
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au