How hospitality in Ballarat continues to grow following years of COVID hell

With the Ballarat region growing in population and popularity, there is a developing food and wine culture that is presenting new and exciting opportunities for locals and visitors.

Now it seems there's no better time to taste whats on offer, and CBD businesses are working together to showcase what the town has to provide. And despite two years of COVID hell and ongoing staff shortages, the hospitality industry is seeing more new businesses open.

The first week in any business venture is always tentative. However Derek Boath, owner of recently opened Pencilmark wine room, along with manager Anthony Schuurs are helping to unlock Ballarat's emerging culinary and wine scene.

Mr Schuurs said he was pleased with the reception that Pencilmark had received in its first week, occupying the former Underbar site, but noting that fine dining was here to stay.

"It's been a busy week since we opened which has been fantastic, and we have had great fun doing it, " he said.

"Its been impressive to see the hospitality industry in Ballarat improve and go from strength to strength. The town's ripe for the emerging dining scene. I started working up the road in 2013, and I think since then it's been a great period of time for Ballarat."

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Mr Schuurs also mentioned that collaborating with other local businesses was a key to the success of Pencilmark.

"We are a small family establishment and we want to support businesses that are similar to us and put the spotlight on them as well. For example we use Mick Nunns' Salt Kitchen Charcuterie who is based out in Alfredton.

"The more businesses that are working together and doing cool things only supports the broader scene in Ballarat and that's a great thing".

Ballarat's proximity to both Melbourne and Geelong situates it nicely for holiday makers or weekenders.

The community events calendar does not slow down in the colder months. With the May annual Heritage Festival wrapped up, locals and visitors can now look forward to the Winter festival beginning on June 25th and ending July 17th.

This means foodies, locals or out-of-towners' alike can reap the benefits of a packed Ballarat calendar.

When asked why he believed Ballarat was embracing the fine dining scene at Pencilmark, owner Derek Boath said; "It's the level of attention to detail we go to. Our food, our wine, the experience.

"However it hasn't been easy. This industry has been tough over the last few years and we want to continue to nurture local talent into the future.

"We've just had the Melbourne food and wine festival and we got to meet a whole group of people from Melbourne and there's a bunch of exciting things lined up for us in November."

In 2021 Ballarat was named the top Tourism town in Victoria and with the Ballarat CBD offering a range of exciting new dining options the town continues to be a drawcard for visitors.

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