Sara Quon steps down as Sovereign Hill chief executive for role at City of Melbourne
The chief executive of Sovereign Hill is leaving the job at Ballarat’s premier tourist attraction after seven turbulent years, during which Covid dramatically cut visitor numbers.
Sovereign Hill’s chief executive is stepping down after seven tumultuous years at Ballarat’s premier tourist attraction.
Sara Quon has announced her last day at Sovereign Hill will be January 23, 2026, after which she will become the general manager for business, economy, and activation at the City of Melbourne.
Ms Quon oversaw the most difficult years of Sovereign Hill’s existence, brought on by the Covid pandemic.
“Leaving a very special place is never easy, even harder is leaving a talented and thought-provoking team,” she wrote on social media.
“These past years have probably been the toughest in the organisation’s history and it has been an honour to walk alongside this team through them.
“We’ve pushed hard to work on accessibility and inclusion during this recovery phase and it felt particularly significant for the team to take home the Excellence in Accessible Tourism award at last week’s Vic Tourism Awards.
“This has been a deeply meaningful chapter for me and I am grateful for the partnerships, conversations and shared work with so many wonderful people and organisations.”
Sovereign Hill’s latest annual report, covering the 2024-25 financial year, reported visitation of 480,709 people, about 7500 more than the year prior.
Despite the improvement, the venue’s figures have never recovered from Covid.
Annual visitation numbers at Sovereign Hill rose from 495,000 in 2013-14 to 546,000 in 2017-18.
In 2018-19, when Ms Quon was appointed, roughly 527,000 people visited the open-air museum.
But the following year, half of which was affected by the start of Covid, only 373,500 people visited.
Sovereign Hill was temporarily closed in March 2020.
In 2021, when the centre was shuttered for some 165 days, 179,383 visitors were recorded, alongside a $1.5m operating deficit for the Sovereign Hill Museums Association.
Guest numbers have somewhat bounced back since then, but, by the latest annual report, have not breached 500,000.
The association still had an operating deficit of $2.8m by the end of June this year.
During Ms Quon’s tenure, Sovereign Hill also launched its 20-year master plan, part of which included opening the Australian Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, the Australian Centre for Gold Rush Collections, and more.
Sovereign Hill Museums Association president Angela Carey expressed gratitude for Ms Quon’s leadership.
“Sara has brought strong strategic capability, clear direction and a collaborative approach to the organisation, as well as to the broader Ballarat region,” she said.
“She has championed our people and our mission through a period of renewal and change, and we are deeply appreciative of her service.”
In a statement, Sovereign Hill said it would soon begin recruiting for a new chief executive.
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