Heading to Ballarat, we only had one place to stop on our way there – The Giant Koala. How did we not know there was a big Koala? It makes sense….. butt still, we had no idea! It is located halfway between Horsham & Stawell on the Western Highway.
In Ballarat, there is plenty to see and do (and eat), but also a great base to sightsee the surrounding areas. We managed to do both and also catch up with some friends from home.
The centre of Ballarat is the around Lake Wendouree. There are walking tracks around the whole lake, and it is a beautiful walk when the weather is good. Unfortunately for us, it was cold and wet weather for our five days here, so we had to take the drive around instead, just hoping out of the car for short periods.
One of our favourite places to visit in Ballarat is the Beechworth Bakery. We had breakfast, lunch and morning tea here a few times. We can recommend the Vanilla Slice and the Ned Kelly Pie. If you are in town, it is a must visit!
Sovereign Hill is a living museum that lets you step back in time to Ballarat from the 1850’s. It is a fantastic day out, experiencing panning for gold, tours to mines, old time shops and buildings. We experienced the ’Trapped’ Mine Tour, which was a bit of fun, but also interesting to go down into the mine. There are a lot of interesting demonstrations, and we recommend you follow the suggested times for each area in Sovereign Hill, so you can see as much as possible. We pre-purchased our tickets online via bookme.com.au and managed to get them for half price.
Just a short drive from central Ballarat is Mount Buninyong. It’s about a 15 minute drive and once at the top of the mountain, you have to climb a viewing platform to experience the views. Not quite 100 steps to the stop, there are 360 degree views to the surrounding area. I think it would make a sensational sunset location!
Geelong is about an hour from Ballarat (as is Melbourne), and we took a drive to the coastal town for a drive around. The rain stopped while we were there and gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs around their waterfront. We would like to come back when we have more time and stay here.
About 100km from Ballarat is Mount Macedon. The drive there takes you through the countryside, and on the chilly, wet days we were there, the trees overhead glistened. Travelling through Daylesford and Woodend was the route we took. Climbing Mount Macedon, the temperature was slowly dropping. it reached about 6 degrees, with a bitterly cold westerly wind cutting to the bone. The lookout has views over the valleys and mountains of Gisborne.
We loved our visit to Ballarat, and even though Sovereign Hill wasn’t dog friendly, it is a ’must do’ when visiting.
