08 Feb 2023
Victoria, Australia, enters 2023 with an exciting number of new local and international offerings. This year will bring a flurry of openings: from luxury and retro-inspired hotels to improved cultural centres and new experiences such as hot springs and mussel tours. All in Australia's most compact and diverse state: Victoria.
NEW HOTELS
Hotel Vera, Ballarat – Opened December 2022
Victoria's largest inland city, Ballarat, is a thriving hub of contemporary events, arts, food and wine. It is renowned for its unique visitor experiences, including panning for gold at Sovereign Hill, exploring the great outdoors or visiting Australia's oldest regional gallery.
In December 2022, Ballarat saw the opening of one-of-a-kind luxury Hotel Vera, whose name pays tribute to one of the owners' grandmothers. Hotel Vera is set in a 19th-century mansion and boasts seven personalised suites each named after a charming Goldfields township and punctuated by the works of a formidable Australian artist. Vera is the new home of acclaimed restaurant Underbar, headed by Michelin-trained chef Derek Boath. Underbar is a premium 14-seat fine dining destination founded on the ethos that food should be crafted masterfully and composed of only the finest ingredients sourced from one's own backyard. The property serves as an all-embracing journey with an emphasis on sustainability and on sense-memory which provides guests with a forever-lingering image, scent, memory or event. Curated art, design, lighting and décor individualised within each suite immerses visitors into warmth and seclusion.
https://www.visitmelbourne.com/regions/goldfields/places-to-stay/hotels/hotel-vera-ballarat
Sunnymead Hotel, Airey's Inlet – Opened December 2022
The popular Lightkeeper Inn Motel saw a big transformation in December 2022 as it was given a complete retro-inspired renovation to become Sunnymead Hotel. Its 20 fun and colourful guest suites have been designed for the modern traveller and the warm colour palette brings an “always sunny” vibe. They feature king-size beds, smart TVs, luxurious locally sourced bathroom products and a curated local mini bar. The hotel also features a solar-heated magnesium mineral pool and pool bar and will be opening its Asian-inspired restaurant, Santara, and Indie Spa in February 2023.
Sunnymead Hotel is located in Airey's Inlet, a small coastal town on Victoria's Great Ocean Road with a vibrant culture enjoyed by foodies, art lovers and nature seekers alike. This quaint town is an ideal destination for a relaxed beach getaway.
https://www.visitmelbourne.com/regions/great-ocean-road/places-to-stay/hotels/sunnymead-hotel
Helen & Joey Estate, Yarra Valley – opening in 2023
Less than an hour from Melbourne (Narrm), the Yarra Valley offers an indulgent escape with quality local food and wine, breath-taking scenery, romantic hideaways and outdoor adventures.
2023 will see the opening of the Helen & Joey Estate at the well-known Yarra Valley winery. The 16-room boutique hotel will be ideally located for wine-lovers and with an inviting landscape design. It will also boast a 110-seat restaurant with local produce and wines and event and conference spaces. The resulting hospitality venue aims to accommodate 40,000 visitors each year.
https://helenandjoeyestate.com.au/
NEW RESTAURANTS
Ambergris Hotel, Geelong – December 2022
Victoria's second largest city, Geelong, is a gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula and to the Great Ocean Road, with an array of activities focusing on art, sports, music and delectable food and wine. Taking Geelong and the Bellarine regions renowned land and sea ingredients, Ambergris Hotel opened in December 2022, bringing a touch of early 20th-century gentlemen's club to the town. Its restaurant – a pub with old-style charm - treats local products with great respect. Its offering includes well-crafted pub counter meals in the front bar and courtyard and fine dining-styled bistro meals in the side and rear intimate dining rooms. Guests can also enjoy a wide variety of Victorian wines.
Envy Distilling, Heathcote – opening in 2023
Situated just over an hour from Melbourne (Narrm), the town of Heathcote offers a welcoming village atmosphere – and it is fast becoming one of Australia's most loved wine regions. Heathcote offers good food, charming landscapes and, with Envy Distilling opening this year, a new attraction. Run by couple, Nathan and Vanessa, with a love for craft spirits, Envy Distilling will be a small craft distillery that will specialise in gin and brandy – inspired by a love for the traditional alembic methods and by the local community. The couple aims for every bottle to represent something more than just a spirit, but to highlight the love, diversity, and uniqueness of their relationship, friends, family and neighbours. One of their star products is the 'Picnic Gin', with floral notes and ideal for sharing.
NEW EXPERIENCES
Phillip Island Hot Springs, Phillip Island – opening in 2023
Phillip Island, known for its world-famous Penguin Parade, will be welcoming its first hot springs this year. Inspired by nature and the healing powers of the ocean, Phillip Island and Saltwater Hot Springs will include over 45 bathing pools of varying sizes and types - from relaxation pools to cave pools. The 30-acre property will also feature small ankle-deep podiatry wading areas, day spas with salt treatments, family friendly areas, a reflexology walk and a swim-up wellness bar serving vitamin cocktails.
www.phillipislandhotsprings.com
Portarlington Mussel Tours, Bellarine Peninsula – opening in 2023
A truly breath-taking destination which showcases picturesque sea views alongside Australian countryside, the Bellarine Peninsula offers a laid back vibe with amazing food and wine – particularly seafood. The mussels cultivated in this area have been hailed as exquisite by leading chefs. Opening this year, Portarlington Mussel Tours will offer intimate tours to give visitors a front row seat to the mussel farming process and how these molluscs are produced. The tour includes, of course, a fresh mussel tasting.
https://portarlingtonmusseltours.com.au/
ARTS CENTRES
Central Goldfields Art Gallery, Maryborough – opening in 2023
The Central Goldfields Art Gallery, located in the town of Maryborough, is undergoing a major redevelopment that will see the Gallery refurbished and extended, including the increase of its exhibition spaces. Located in an 1861 historic fire station, the Central Goldfields Art Gallery presents a varied exhibition programme which showcases local and regional artists, and includes touring exhibitions. Its growing collection includes works by artists of regional and national significance, such as Arthur Boyd, Pro Hart, Dean Bowen and Ray Crooke. In the heart of the Victorian Goldfields region, the progressive town of Maryborough boasts grand gold rush architecture, lush gardens, antiques, art and a fast growing food and wine scene.
Geelong Arts Centre, Geelong – opening in 2023
Big enough to attract the world's best theatre, music and performances, but small enough to stay friendly and local. Geelong Arts Centre connects regional Victoria with world-class multi-arts experiences, while also showcasing incredible home-grown talent and connecting local, like-minded creatives. The centre's Little Malop Street building is currently undergoing some refurbishment works that, once opened later on this year, will provide a 550-seat theatre, a 250-seat theatre, an atrium, more dining options, a new Box Office, and new back-of-house and administration facilities. With the renovations, Geelong Arts Centre aims to become the largest regional arts centre in Australia.
