But now Ballarat can expect it to be a thriving food and accommodation hub, with it reopening to Ballarat patrons this evening. 

A boutique hotel and restaurant in the building have been the work of business partners Simon Coghlan, Gorgi Coghlan and Drew Harry. 

The new venture emerged from a casual meeting more than a year ago with Rob Foley, the general manager of building owners Petstock, who were looking for someone to take on the restaurant space downstairs. 

They picked up the keys in July, with the 15 existing heritage rooms renovated, and restaurant rebuilt over five months. Construction work is continuing on eight new rooms, which will finished by Christmas.

Mr Coghlan said they saw a great opportunity to “redevelop the whole concept and rebrand as a genuine boutique hotel offering with an in-house restaurant”. 

He said he and his wife Gorgi had “spent a lot of time travelling, and researching all the things we’ve enjoyed”.

“There’s already a number of good quality offerings in the accommodation sector, we felt that there was an opening in the full service boutique market,” Mr Coghlan said. 

Every detail was considered, with Gorgi working with her team to source eye-catching fabrics and wallpapers direct from the United States, which they believe haven’t been used in Australia before. 

“It’s really just an extension of a lot of the research and statistics coming out of the Australia Hotels Association. The spend on luxury experiences is growing rapidly,” he said.

“People are looking to regional spaces to get out, disconnect, and have a relaxing experience but not wanting to get on an airplane.

“From the Melbourne side of things, we’re saying ‘jump on the train, it’s an hour and 15 minutes to Ballarat, you only have to cross the road and we’ll take car of everything else for you’.” 

The restaurant’s namesake is Lola Montez, an infamous goldfields courtesan turned countess who drove a Bavarian king into exile. Lola is envisioned as a ‘casual contemporary cafe by day, sophisticated european-style bistro at night’.

Head Chef Shaun Thomson has worked alongside Quay’s Peter Gilmore, and worked as a demi chef in Neil Perry’s Melbourne outfit Rockpool. 

In forging relationships with local suppliers, Thomson has written a season menu and sourcing produce and wine from close to Ballarat. 

Mr Coghlan said there is about 60 bottle of wine on their list, and with “the exception of half a dozen French and Italian labels”, everything else is from within 150 kilometres. 

“We’re really proud of what we’ve created, because it is a good ambassador for the quality of produce and the wine scene around Ballarat,” he said. 

It is high time for the north end of Lydiard Street to have a revival, with The Provincial perfectly placed in the centre. With the Ballarat Station Redevelopment well under way, and GovHub on the Civic Hall site set to house 1000 public servants by 2020, the area will soon be buzzing with life and activity. 

Like the Coghlans, some have already identified the precinct’s potential, with the former Seymours on Lydiard building likely to become a “Melbourne-inspired outdoor bar area with a glass atrium”. 

“The whole precinct is on the verge of exploding into a really dynamic, cosmopolitan area,” Mr Coghlan said. 

“With the real estate prices in Soldiers Hill, combined with the number of people from Melbourne seeing the value of the real estate in Ballarat as a very attractive option, it’s going to bring a lot more people to Ballarat looking for another experience.

“Armstrong Street is close to capacity now as hospitality precinct, so I think in and aroudn Lydiard Streets there’s a great opportunity there.

“With the growth in utilization of public transport with people heading to Melbourne, it all ties in really when the state government gets their act together and duplicates the line to Melbourne so we end up with a sub-60 minute service to Ballarat.”