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Craig's Royal Hotel

Name: Craig's Royal Hotel
Address: 10 Lydiard Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350, Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, 3350, AU
Telephone: (03) 5331 1377

Ballarat, Victoria Capacity: 10–150 From: From $145 p/head

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About

Overview & Vibe

Craig's Royal Hotel has stood on Lydiard Street since 1862, built on the site of Ballarat's first licensed pub and a goldfields landmark ever since — Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, stayed in 1867 and Dame Nellie Melba sang from the balcony in 1908. After a five-year restoration it runs as a boutique heritage hotel, and a wedding here is a Victorian-era grand hotel wedding: high ceilings, gilt mirrors, ornate wallpapers and a staircase built to be photographed.

Setting & Style

Four function rooms, each with a different character. The Grand Dining Room is the reception space — late-19th-century Empire style, seating 110 with room for a dance floor, hung with mirrors gifted to the hotel after it hosted a recruitment ball in 1865. The Prince's Room was prepared for royalty in 1867 and suits ceremonies, cocktail receptions and intimate seated dinners. The Reading Room is a split-level room with a balcony over Her Majesty's Theatre. The Cellar is bluestone and timber underneath it all. Bentleys sits in the oldest 1860s part of the building.

Ideal For

Couples who want heritage grandeur in the middle of a regional city, with guests able to sleep upstairs — and smaller weddings especially, since the rooms range from an intimate dinner to 110 seated.

The Need-to-Knows

Three wedding packages, all per person: Classic $145 (three-hour standard drinks, set three-course menu, no alternate serve); Elegant $180 (four-hour standard drinks, two-course alternate serve); Diamond $260 (five-hour premium drinks including spirits, 45 minutes of canapés, three-course alternate serve and cakeage).
These figures come from a pack authored October 2024 and re-published to the site in January 2026. It carries no expiry date and is the document the live functions page links, so it is the hotel's current published offer — but confirm on enquiry.
An additional 15% applies on public holidays. Cakeage is $6.50 per person if not already included in the chosen package.
Accommodation is part of the wedding package: a complimentary night's stay on the wedding day, or the option to return on the first anniversary. The hotel has 35 rooms and a Royal suite.
Included: a dedicated wedding reception coordinator on the day, setup of small personal items, white table linen and serviettes, gift table, cake table and cutting knife, cutting and serving of the cake, table numbers, a microphone and lectern, and staff greeting and directing guests.
Beverage and food package prices are not published — the pack lists three-, four- and five-hour drinks packages and canapé, alternate-serve and cocktail menus with the price column deliberately blank, directing couples to the functions manager. Only the wedding packages and High Tea ($75 per adult, $30 per child) carry figures.
Cocktail events are catered for 10 to 150 people.

Standout Feature

A 160-year-old gold-rush grand hotel where the wedding package includes the room upstairs.

Contact

Visit website

Call

Website

craigsroyal.com.au

Phone

(03) 5331 1377

Address

10 Lydiard Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350, Australia

Amenities

Built 1862
Heritage Listed Character
Four Function Rooms
Grand Dining Room
Prince's Room
Reading Room
Bluestone Cellar
Bentleys Room
Balcony Over Her Majesty's Theatre
Empire Style Interiors
Gilt Mirrors
Ornate Ceilings
Dance Floor Space
In-House Catering
Bar
On-Site Accommodation
35 Hotel Rooms
Royal Suite
Wedding Coordinator
Microphone And Lectern
White Table Linen Included
Cake Table And Knife Included
In-House AV Equipment
High Tea Service
Ballarat CBD Location

Ceremony Setting

indoor
heritage
ballroom
cellar
balcony

Dietary Options Supported

Dietary Requirements Catered

Nearby Landmarks

Her Majesty's Theatre – Directly opposite, viewed from the Reading Room balcony
Lydiard Street – Ballarat's heritage streetscape, the hotel's address
Ballarat CBD – The hotel stands in the centre of town
Art Gallery of Ballarat – A short walk along Lydiard Street
Sovereign Hill – Ballarat's gold-rush open-air museum
Lake Wendouree – The city's lake and gardens
Ballarat Railway Station – Two minutes away on Lydiard Street

On Site Accommodation

35 hotel rooms and a Royal suite, with a complimentary wedding-night stay included in the package

Price Notes

SOURCE AND DATING: the 'FUNCTION & WEDDING PACKAGES' PDF linked from the hotel's functions page. Its PDF CreationDate and ModDate are both 16 October 2024, and the server's Last-Modified header is 29 January 2026 - the document was authored in late 2024 and re-published to the site in early 2026. The filename ends '_24'. It carries no validity window and no expiry, and it is the document the live page serves, so under the supersession test it is the hotel's current published offer. It is, however, the oldest-authored pricing document in this listing set - confirm figures on enquiry.
WEDDING PACKAGES, ALL PER PERSON: Classic $145pp, Elegant $180pp, Diamond $260pp. An additional 15% applies on public holidays. Cakeage is $6.50 per person if not included in the chosen package.
BEVERAGE AND FOOD PACKAGE PRICES ARE DELIBERATELY WITHHELD, AND THAT WAS VERIFIED. The pack's Beverage Packages page lists welcome drinks (cocktail on arrival, bubbles on arrival) and 3-hour, 4-hour, 5-hour and 5-hour premium packages; the Food Packages page lists 6, 7 and 8 canape packages, two- and three-course alternate serve menus, cakeage served as dessert, and cocktail events at a choice of 3, 5 or 7 canapes per person. Every price column is blank, and both pages close with 'PLEASE ASK FUNCTIONS & EVENTS MANAGER FOR CURRENT BEVERAGES IN PACKAGES' and 'Contact our friendly team for further information.' A glyph-position dump of both pages returned no currency values at any coordinate, so the omission is deliberate rather than an extraction failure.
THE ONLY OTHER PRICED ITEM IS HIGH TEA: $75 per adult and $30 per child, including sparkling wine or orange juice on arrival, a selection of T2 teas and Roasting Warehouse plunger coffee, and five petite fours.
ACCOMMODATION IS INCLUDED IN THE WEDDING PACKAGE: 'As part of our wedding package here at Craigs Royal Hotel we want to offer a complimentary night stay on your Wedding day or return to us on your 1 year anniversary to reminisce on your special day.' Listed inclusions for that stay: a Farmers Platter, a bottle of Mumm champagne and early check in.
WEDDING DAY INCLUSIONS: 'Highly experienced & dedicated wedding reception co-ordinator on the special day; The set up of small personal items; White table linen & White linen serviettes; Gift table; Cake table & cutting knife; Cutting & serving of your wedding cake (* $6.5PP if not included in choice of package); Table numbers; Microphone Lectern; Staff will greet & provide directions to guests on arrival.'

Price Per Head

From $145 p/head

Venue Capacity

10–150

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