Kryal Castle…oh there are some amazing memories from my childhood from this place. I think most Victorian kids and probably plenty of interstate kids will have memories from here.
I remember my mum taking me when I was younger and Mark also remembers a visit to Kryal Castle Ballarat with his family. And how many of us walked away with memories or nightmares from the whipping of the wench?
Times have changed since then and with a multi-million dollar renovation, there is no longer any whipping but you will find updated arena shows and an accommodation area that caters from small, romantic getaways to large family stays. In this post, we review our overnight stay and day pass to Kryal Castle to make your visit hassle-free and easy.
What is Kryal Castle?
Kryal Castle was originally built in 1972 and opened to the public in 1974. Modelled on a medieval castle it has changed hands a few times over the years and is now one of Victoria’s top tourist attractions for all ages. For many years it was marketed as Australia’s only castle but now there are a couple of others popping up in Queensland.
While there are no actual castles in Australia that are occupied or have been built by the Royal family, Kryal Castle is Australia’s only castle with a medieval theme park.
Visit Kryal Castle Ballarat
You will find Kryal Castle just outside of Ballarat in Victoria Australia.
The address for Kryal Castle Medieval Adventure Park is 121 Forbes Road, Leigh Creek Victoria. 3352. (You can put this address into your navigation device and it will help you get there)
The entry to the Castle theme park is well signed on either side of the road with brown tourist signs pointing to the entryway from the highway. There is ample parking at the Castle and parking is free.
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Kryal Castle Prices
There are plenty of ways that you can get Kryal Castle tickets. You can purchase your Kryal Castle tickets on the day at the castle ticket office or you can purchase them online through the website. We recommend that you purchase tickets through Klook who often have discount tickets available.
General Admission
The entry price gives you access to the Castle grounds, all shows and attractions. There is an additional charge for face painting, archery, craft, pony rides and selected seasonal attractions.
| Ticket | Price |
| Adult | $36.00 |
| Concession | $30.00 |
| Child (4-16 years) | $24.00 |
| Family (2 adults & up to 4 children) | $104.00 |
| Single parent family (1 adult & up to 3 children) | $89.00 |
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Things to do at Kryal Castle
We had the Noble Passes when we visited Kryal Castle and they were great for our kids. They did as many of the activities that were on offer as they could. Potion making was a real favourite of theirs and they had a great time at that activity.
There was only one entry to potion-making for the day on the Noble Pass so you should head over to the watchtower as soon as you can to book in for it. Unfortunately, the pony rides were not available on the day we went but it turns out our daughters were both too tall. We missed the archery siege as we were getting some lunch when it was being done.
We were very lucky that we were able to visit Kryal Castle in winter. There were not too many people about so we did not have trouble exploring to find the activities that we wanted to do. The wait times were not long either but it did mean that there were some activities that were not running. Our top tip would be to make sure you know the times of the activities to maximise your fun there.
The Kryal Castle Arena Shows
The best thing to do at Kryal Castle is to watch the arena shows throughout the day. These arena shows were a highlight for us. Our kids loved the theatre-like performances and because we were visiting Kryal Castle in winter they had a fire jousting section of the performance.
For us, the actors were what made us love the place. We really liked Kryal Castle but because of the performers, we loved it! We cheered on Sir Hector and we booed the Black Knight. We all got involved and it was a great family activity.
11.30 is the start of the main show.
2.00 is the Royal Joust. Because we were visiting Kryal Castle in winter it was the Fire Joust show. It was a fantastic show and the actors were amazing. The Arena shows change their themes throughout the year to keep it a bit fresh for visitors.
Kryal Castle Opening Hours
Kryal Castle Ballarat is open: every Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
In addition to the weekend openings, Kryal Castle Ballarat is also open for the duration of the Victorian School Holidays & Select Public Holidays (Closed Christmas Day)
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Kryal Castle Food
One thing that we were really surprised at where all the places you could purchase food at Kryal Castle and that it was pretty affordable. There were three main places there to get Kryal Castle food. We had breakfast at The Abbey Tavern (they also served lunch) and we had lunch at the Alehouse. There was also a bakery but it was closed for the winter.
Breakfast
Our Kryal Castle food was really good at breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, we ate at the Abbey Tavern. If you are staying in the Kryal Castle rooms it would be a great place to start the day. The breakfast was a nice big meal perfectly named the King’s Breakfast (eggs, bacon, toast, mushrooms, sausage, spinach, beans and tomato) Queen’s breakfast (the same as the King’s without tomato)
There were great options for the kids too with a good-sized breakfast. Just be warned though if you are visiting Kryal Castle in the winter, and you are planning on eating at the Abbey Tavern in the morning it can be a little cold before the open fire really gets roaring so please dress well.
Lunch
There was plenty of space for us to sit and enjoy our Kryal Castle food. At the Alehouse for lunch, there was pizza, sausage rolls, pies, sandwiches and soup on offer. There was a large eating area available inside out of the weather with a nice warm fire. Kryal Castle food prices at the Alehouse started at around $5.00 (pie) and drinks were also available.
BYO Food
If you don’t want to purchase food there were plenty of families that bought their own food for Kryal Castle. Many were around the playground and in the Grandstand enjoying lunch together. This may be an option if you are saving some money.
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Kryal Castle Events
During our stay at Kryal Castle Ballarat, we decided to attend the Medieval Feast night. It is a dinner and a show-styled night and it was lots of fun for the kids as everyone gets involved.
We had the same actors from throughout the day and again they were fabulous. By the end of the night, we were all in stitches and we even learnt the names of the actors so we could personally thank them for doing such a fantastic job all day.
If sharing a meal with strangers is not your thing then you may find the Medieval Feast difficult. We were very lucky and the people we sat with were really nice. You share a platter of cheeses, to begin with, and then the main meal of meats and vegetables.
Kryal Castle Accommodation
The Kryal Castle accommodation is within the walls of the theme park. This gives you fantastic opportunities to go and wander the medieval theme park before opening and after it has shut to visitors.
The Kryal Castle suites are all styled in a medieval theme and are nice and cozy to go back to on a cold day when you are visiting Kyral Castle in winter. I was a little surprised that they were not serviced every day