Amid the plethora of new activities on offer at this year's Ballarat Heritage Festival, one of the event's latest additions is looking to capture the essence of small businesses in a new light, allowing festival-goers both the freedom and leisure to explore Ballarat at their own pace.
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Hidden Lanes tour, which launched for the first time at the weekend in conjunction with Ballarat Heritage Festival, encourages participants to soak up all Ballarat has to offer through the concept of 'slow travel', Hidden Lanes co-founder Emma Hall said.
"The goal of our tour is to inspire people to break out from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives and actually listen to the sounds of nature, taking in the beautiful buildings and engaging with business owners and getting to know their stories," Ms Hall said. "It's really about experiencing this whole town in a kind of mindful, relaxing way."
The self-guided digital tour, which traverses more than 15 iconic locations across Ballarat through QR codes, was inspired by Ms Hall and her partner, Hidden Lanes co-founder Jarrod Hall's travels to South Korea.
"We lived in South Korea for nine years and slow travel was very popular there especially around the country's Jeju island where we rode our bikes around," Ms Hall said.
"A lot of locals would give us advice and they told us we should take our time exploring and we ended up raving about our experiences to our friends, making a film about it and when we moved to Ballarat we thought it just seemed like the perfect place to introduce this concept."
Ms Hall, who moved to Ballarat in 2018, said the idea of a Ballarat 'slow travel' scene was something her and her partner had been brewing for quite sometime, however it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It had been on our minds for quite a long time and unfortunately we had to put it on the back burner due to COVID but now that COVID restrictions have eased we're delighted to be able to provide this experience - especially alongside the (Ballarat Heritage) festival," she said.
Of the many spots listed on the guide's itinerary, Ms Hall said her highlights included The Lost Ones Gallery and Makers Studio in Ballarat Central, the Bakery Hill Star and Bakery Hill's Main Road.
"At the Lost Ones Makers Studio people can have the opportunity to meet with arts and crafts people who are making gorgeous textiles, jewellery and artworks and they'll also have a chance sit down and engage in a piece of art themselves," she said.
"The Bakery Hill Star, located in a little laneway in a grassy patch behind the The Munster Arms Hotel, is quite iconic in relation to the Eureka Stockade and is the very spot where Peter Lalor gave his speech to the miners before they took part in the stockade. With our digital guide as well, people will be able to listen to a history podcast to accompany the star curated by Tales from Rat City.
"And then there's Main Road where people can find an array of amazing antique and craft shops as well as a lovely second-hand bookshop (The Known World Bookshop)."
Owner Michelle Coxall said she found the whole initiative brilliant and hopes to see the tech-centered guide bringing more people to businesses.
"I think it's a brilliant idea using contemporary technology to bring more people into local businesses and I especially like the way it highlights businesses that visitors might not be able to discover," Ms Coxall said.
"It really shines a light on the hidden gems in Ballarat and spreads tourists around the city which is fantastic."
It really shines a light on the hidden gems in Ballarat and spreads tourists around the city which is fantastic
- Michelle Coxall
Ms Coxall said the initiative had also aided in increasing her shop's foot traffic.
"I've had people come in and say they've found us through the guide and I believe they wouldn't have come in otherwise (if not for the guide)," she said.
"I'm sure in the next several days we'll see more people in the shop."
Ms Coxall said it was also pleasing to see the City of Ballarat council support such a tour.
"I think council is finally understanding how important small businesses are, not only for community, but also for the employment of young people and the stepping stone it provides them."
Ms Hall said Hidden Lanes was looking to expand for the future with plans to extend their tour.
"Hidden Lanes will be available throughout the year and we're also going to add a couple more bicycle routes and even possibly adding in new themes such as a foodie one," she said.
Hidden Lanes self-guided tour runs from Wednesday to Sunday and can be completed anytime. However, it is recommended to be completed from 10.30am to 4pm.
The tour by foot takes about three to four hours and by bike it takes about two.
- For more, visit hiddenlanes.com.au
