First look at Sturt Street’s Hotel Vera Ballarat
Hotel Vera, a modern fit-out of a mid-1880s medical building on Sturt Street, will open later this year. See the plans here.
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A hotel in the centre of Ballarat promises to take accommodation “up a notch” when it opens later this year.
Hotel Vera, a modern fit-out of a mid-1880s medical building on Sturt Street, will accommodate 14 people in seven kingsize suites and host a local restaurant with a private dining room.
Hotel directors Martin Shew and David Cook-Doulton previously worked on Ballarat’s Lascelles Terraces and Lyon House, and are behind Bendigo’s Hotel Ernest.
Hotel Vera is named after Mr Cook-Doulton’s grandmother.
“We’ve always loved the Goldfields for its history and its architecture,” Mr Shew said.
“When we saw 710 Sturt Street it was just an incredible building that we thought would make a perfect destination dining and accommodation space.
“It does break your heart when we see buildings un-utilised: Ballarat and Bendigo are rich with amazing buildings that deserve love and attention.”
Hotel Vera has been in the works since 2016, when Mr Shew and Mr Cook-Doulton saw a gap in the local accommodation market, but in its later stages the project was delayed by Covid.
Once the refurbishment is complete, Ballarat restaurant Underbar, owned by chef Derek Boath and his partner, will be housed inside and offer a degustation course in which each dish, inspired by the season, will be prepared and explained to a maximum of 14 diners.
A private dining room will seat eight guests.
“We’ve been running premium homesteads for the last 10 years in Ballarat,” Mr Shew said.
“With Derek in residence we feel that it will take it up a notch in terms of destination dining.”
Mr Shew said there were plans for an EV charger on the site, solar panels, and hundreds of plants “with the aim of creating an urban forest in the heart of the CBD”.
“The most important thing is sustainability is important to us,” he said.
Hotel Vera is expected to open in October.
See our gallery of renders below.
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