"Ballarat" Top 5 Page for this destination Ballarat by dlandt

Ballarat Travel Guide: 207 reviews and 487 photos

Ballarat - Ballarat
Ballarat
Between Nature and Urbanity

Ballarat is a large town or small city located about an hour north and west of Melbourne. Its quite civilized and nice, but if you go much further, you are really on track to the countryside. I'm really not sure how to classify Ballarat. Insofar as it reminded me of anything, it reminded me of some of the towns of New England, but it definitely felt different. The obvious Catholic twist to the town was different, and it has a good "feel" for its history, you can sense it. Its got a lot of the conveniences and sights of a city, but has the feel and customs of a small town. I liked Ballarat, though I have to admit our own VT member Kate-Me, and her husband, Paul, made sure I liked it. May I be half as good a host. If you're serious about a visit to Ballarat, you MUST visit Kate's pages. There is no substitute.

Ballarat II
Intersection - Ballarat

Intersection

A view of the downtown area.

Church
Church - Ballarat

Church

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Not far from Melbourne, but very different
  • Cons:Could be considered a town
  • In a nutshell:An alternative to Melbourne
  • Last visit to Ballarat: Nov 2003
  • Intro Updated Dec 8, 2003
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Reviews (4)

Sovereign Hill - Ballarat Sovereign Hill Things to Do (4)

As I can quote "Its about the closest thing to a tourist attraction we have around here". What this is is a theme park... more travel advice

Feeding the birds - Ballarat The Lake Things to Do (4)

During the Melbourne Olympics of 1956, they held several of the open water competitions in Ballarat because it had the... more travel advice

Flight From Pompeii - Ballarat The Flight from Pompeii and other fine... Things to Do (4)

In the Central Park there is a small building which houses some Italian sculpture, purchased around the troubled times... more travel advice

Gardens - Ballarat The Botanical Gardens Things to Do (4)

Central Park may not be the name of it, but Ballarat has an extensive garden in the middle of town, near the lake. For... more travel advice

Comments (9)

  • Reply
    australia2's Profile Photo
    Jul 7, 2012 at 6:41 PM

    I hope the Ballarat Lake had recovered when you were there.?
    You may have been a bit 'early'. All very good now. I rowed on it long ago. All your material everywhere is very entertaining and informative, David. Come again sometime please. (I lived in Ballarat many years back - when in the RAAF.) Cheers. Laurie.

  • Reply
    Sininen's Profile Photo
    Nov 17, 2005 at 10:55 AM

    Hi Dave! Happy Birthdya from Finland! I truly enjoyed your Ballarat page. The only place my friends took there was Sovereign Hill, which I enjoyed very much. It was nice to see more of it as well. Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply
    thelittlevoice's Profile Photo
    Aug 6, 2005 at 7:24 PM

    My cousin spent 6 weeks there studying English. I saw his pictures and it seemed quite nice but quiet though.

  • Reply
    BorderHopper's Profile Photo
    Jul 21, 2005 at 7:52 PM

    The Ballarat I went to is a ghost town at the base of the barren Panamint mountain range, in an empty valley adjacent to Death Valley, California. Thanks for showing me the real Ballarat!They found little gold at the California Ballarat. Happy travels!

  • Reply
    windsorgirl's Profile Photo
    Sep 24, 2004 at 6:21 PM

    I did not make it to Sovereign Hill, but I spent alot of time and film at the Botanical Gardens, it was lovely despite the lousy weather! You have some very nice pics here.

  • Reply
    craic's Profile Photo
    Jan 3, 2004 at 5:26 AM

    Never been to ballarat but it looks odd and charming.

  • Reply
    travelmad478's Profile Photo
    Dec 13, 2003 at 5:01 PM

    Good grief, still no koalas!

  • Reply
    Kate-Me's Profile Photo
    Dec 9, 2003 at 11:53 PM

    Love the commentary with the Black swans and their cygnets!

  • Reply
    matcrazy1's Profile Photo
    Dec 3, 2003 at 10:31 AM

    Interesting Italian sculpture, balck swans and church. Is it Gold mine in the second travelogue?

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