[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]AURA is a brand-new immersive theatre experience at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. AURA explores the impact of gold through a variety of perspectives, including science, Dreamtime and historical recounts.
Tickets to AURA are an extra cost on top of your Sovereign Hill Entry Ticket and it’s best to book ahead of time to ensure you don’t miss out, especially during weekends and school holidays. You can even package your Sovereign Hill general entry and AURA tickets with dinner!
We are invited to experience AURA and arriving at Sovereign Hill at twilight is a novel experience – the car park is all but empty.
We make our way downstairs to the 3D cinema, past a couple of light installations that fascinate kids before the main event even gets underway.
AURA has been designed by Andrew Walsh AM and his Accolade Event Management team, who have delivered events including the opening and closing ceremonies of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the first four years of White Night.
The show begins with a bang – not just any bang either! Through 3D film, the audience experiences the Big Bang and the creation of our sun, galaxy and precious elements such as gold.
Find Hotels and Airbnbs near AURA, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
We then head outdoors onto vehicles that take us through the deserted, eerie streets of Sovereign Hill. Here and there a building is lit in the darkness, to beautiful effect.
Others seem almost ghostly as we fly past.
We pass beyond the “town” and wend our way through bushland to an outdoor amphitheatre. Here we disembark for the second part of the experience.
Stunning light projections help tell the Wadawarrung creation story, which features Bunjil the eagle and his family.
The setting and colour are mesmerising, and the landscape is used beautifully to complement the scale of the storytelling.
Now it’s time to move to our next location – another theatre close to the outdoor amphitheatre. The setting feels a little quaint as we learn about how the Wadawarrung people lost their golden flower when their land was colonised.
However, the illusion of quaintness is soon dispelled. The front of the theatre begins to slowly open, exposing an enormous outdoor theatre complete with campfires and buildings.
Moving tents become projection surfaces for first-person storytelling. The actors share Ballarat’s golden history, from the discovery of gold through to the Eureka Stockade and beyond.
The pyrotechnics are spectacular, and the children in the audience are impressed to be able to feel the warmth of the fire at different times throughout the show.
Note that there are several loud gunshots, which may startle or scare young children (and adults!). The story of the Eureka Stockade also recounts the murder of a miner. While it’s not shown in great detail, some children may find this a little disturbing so it’s worth having a conversation about this afterwards to touch on why it was an important part of the story.
After the show finishes, the vehicles return audience members to the main entrance, including a drop-off at the Sovereign Hill Hotel for anyone staying overnight. For other accommodation options in Ballarat, I recommend checking out what’s available on Booking.com and Airbnb.
AURA is epic in its scale and scope – how many shows can boast of taking the audience from the Big Bang to modern time? – and shares the story of gold in new and innovative ways. I particularly enjoy the Dreamtime narrative, while the kids love the fiery elements as well as the 3D trip through space and time.
AURA is on every night at Sovereign Hill and runs for about 90 minutes. Starting times change depending on the time of year. Note that tickets to AURA are an extra cost on top of your Sovereign Hill Entry Ticket and it’s best to book ahead of time to ensure you don’t miss out, especially during weekends and school holidays. You can even package your Sovereign Hill general entry and AURA tickets with dinner!
Click here to buy discount tickets to a Ballarat and Sovereign Hill Day Tour
Click here for more tips on making the most of your visit to Sovereign Hill
Click here for more things to do in Ballarat with kids
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”thon-hot-tips-panel”]HOT Tips:
- There are a few loud and scary bits which may frighten young children. BYO earmuffs just in case;
- If you have little ones who can’t stay up late then the best time to go is right after daylight saving ends (in April) when the show commences at 6:45pm;
- Take plenty of warm layers as Ballarat gets c-c-c-c-old in the evening!; and
- You can make the most of your trip with tickets to Sovereign Hill – if you want to make your experience extra-special, consider staying the night at the Sovereign Hill Hotel.
- For other accommodation options in Ballarat, I recommend checking out what’s available on Booking.com and Airbnb.
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