One of Australia's most-loved museums is preparing to reopen its doors.
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After a 225-day COVID-enforced closure, Ballarat's famed outdoor museum, Sovereign Hills, will open for four days over Melbourne Cup weekend - from Saturday, October 31, to Tuesday, November 3.
Sovereign Hills closed back on March 20 - just a day after Ballarat's first coronavirus case was confirmed.
And with advice still unclear on when all COVID restrictions will be lifted across Victoria, the park will revert to weekend trade only from November 7. A full opening to be announced at a later date.
As a number of the most famous attractions such as the mine tour and the gold pouring exhibit will not be able to open at this time, overall ticket prices will be reduced.
The ever-popular troopers and red coats, panning for gold in the diggings, and coach rides, all will be available while the streets will be brought to life with characters in costume.
Sovereign Hill Museums Association's chief executive officer Sara Quon said the timing was right for the community to slowly emerge from the challenging year.
"Resetting our price to be lower is an important part of being there with our community for the phase ahead," Ms Quon said.
"We are opening with new ticket pricing in place and have over 30,000 square metres of open-air space and strict capacity limits each day, we had great visitor feedback during our last reopening about how safe people felt.
"After such a turbulent and difficult year, we are excited to welcome visitors back. We know that people want to reconnect with families, friends and loved ones and we are confident Sovereign Hill is a safe and wonderful place to do that."
Tickets will initially be limited to 20 per cent of standard attendance (1000 visitors a day). All on-site payments will be conducted via contactless bank card, sanitisation stations and clear social distancing signs will be displayed across the site.
Volunteers and visitors will be asked COVID-19 screening questions ahead of entry In line with Victorian guidelines.
For full details go to https://sovereignhill.com.au