Accommodation

Women and male children under 12 years

For the Friday and Saturday evenings at Smeaton and Newstead, there are halls provided for women and children to sleep in next to the rooms where dinner will be served. Please keep in mind that there will be a lot of people in the halls and you will need to be considerate of young children sleeping and extra space needed for larger families when you are setting up. You will need to bring your own bedding and pillows. We encourage people to bring a roll up mat to sleep on however larger mattresses including blow up mattress can sometimes be difficult in terms of space. At no times are there to be any beds set up or beds placed blocking doorways.  

Men and Campers

All pilgrims are encouraged to camp if they wish and camping fields are located across the road from the halls on both Friday and Saturday nights. You will be directed to the camping sites upon arrival. Please do not set up prior to the pilgrims arriving at the evening sites as these have changed from previous years. If you are camping you will need to bring warm clothes to sleep in, a tent and bedding. There are often people looking to share larger tents so please watch out for posts on the facebook page alerting pilgrims to this.

Thursday Night

Female pilgrims and boys under the age of 12 will be staying in the Ballarat’s St Patrick’s Cathedral Hall.  You’ll need a sleeping bag and (unless you’re super-tough) a sleeping mat and pillow.  Space can be limited in the hall, so pack light and avoid bulky inflatable mattresses. Male pilgrims will be staying at the Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute (117 Sturt Street).  Returning pilgrims will note that this is a new venue. Make sure you check-in at the Cathedral hall first, before going to the Mechanics’ Institute.  Entry to the Mechanics’ Institute will only be permitted to those with a pilgrim ID issued at the check-in desk.