Ballarat, the destination for you.
Written: Mar 17 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great tourist attractions, good restaurants and accomadation.
Cons: None that I can see.
The Bottom Line: If you are thinking of coming to Australia then give Ballarat a go. It is fantastic for kids and adults with endless things to keep you occupied.
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| caillin's Full Review: Victoria |
I decided to write about my own town as its own attractions is the reason I moved here three years ago. Ballarat is situated in Australia, Victoria and about one and a half hours from Melbourne. It has both the life of a city and the life of a country. This town is built around and over gold mines that ones flourished. Because of this history, many tourist attractions have focused on this theme. The three most obvious attractions are:
SOVERIGN HILL- This is a recreation of a town in the gold rush days. It has everything from old shops where you can buy items, for instance I bought a gold pan to go looking for gold around Ballarat (don't laugh I will triumph one day!), accomadation if you wish to stay there, and even facilities for children to come and be a part of it. When I was 11 my school had a three day excursion to Soverign Hill where I was dressed up in a frock and bloomers and had to attend school writing on old chalk boards, I also had to get to and from school by coach with accompaning clydesdale and have my playtime playing with a wooden cap attached to a wooden ball and string. Other events you can involve yourself in is actually panning for gold at their recreated stream. Pans are included and there is actual gold in this stream put in buy the organisers. If you are unlucky enough not to get any gold you can purchase a little of the pan gold in a glass bottle for five dollars. There are excursions through a gold mine, coach rides, and opportunities to look at how the products are made at each of the stores. Everything is made and created according to the time in which the town is set. All the employe's are dressed and act accordingly. If you want to take a tour at one of the shops I recommend the lollie shop (mmmm yum!).
WILD LIFE AND REPTILE PARK- This facility is a lovely wildlife park that shows you aspects of Australian animals. Some of the animals roam free on the grounds such as Kangaroo's and Wallabies which you can feed. The keepers bring out the other animals at scheduled parts of the day, such as the wombat, feeding the Crocodile, etc.
EUREKA STOCKADE- This facility has only been recently built, and is situated on the very hill that the Eureka rebellion happened. It is a tour of the Eureka stockade, detailing the events that led up to the rebellion and the consequences of it. It also has the actual flag that was made by the wives of the gold miners and hoisted on the actual day.
Other facilities include, the gold museum which is a part of Soverign Hill, Her Majesty's theatre which has different musicals and drama all through the year, and many more. When I first visited Ballarat I instantly fell in love with the town. Beautiful gardens, great central Lake (Lake Wendouree which I happen to live right next too) all ad to the great image of this town. I finally had the option of moving to Ballarat when I was applying for Universities and jumped at the chance. This town is a tourism gold mine (sorry for the pun) and is worth a look. Especially people living in the US, the price of the Australian dollar makes this an excellent time to come and view this town for yourself. You will love it!! Sorry if this review sounds like a tourism brochure but I have nothing but praise for Ballarat.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
caillin
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Location: Ballarat, Australia
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
University Student from Ballarat, Australia.
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