On To Ballarat

On the morning of November 29th, my family and I checked out of The Nunnery, packed up all of our suitcases into our rented car and drove off towards the city of Ballarat, 105 kilometres to the north-west of Melbourne. Overall, The Nunnery hostel is an okay facility although the outer structure could use a good facelift. I think it would also be wise if the staff moved the 3 Internet computers to a different room because they’re in a cramped space under the main wooden staircase.

To get to Ballarat from Melbourne, my older brother drove my parents and I along the M8 Western Freeway, a 4 lane highway that snakes its way through roving green hills and farmlands. The vast landscape reminded me of the Canadian Prairies without the yellow wheat fields. The road trip lasted about 2 hours and we arrived at our accommodation, the Sovereign Park Motor Inn, in the early afternoon. Our room came fully equipped with 3 beds, tv, washroom, and a small kitchen. The small kitchen fridge was stocked with complimentary juice, milk, bread, and various jam spreads.

Before the arrival of Scottish settlers in 1837, the Ballarat region was populated by the Indigenous Wathaurong people. The settlement didn’t ‘take off’ until the 1850s when gold was discovered at Poverty Point. The Gold Rush attracted 10,000 migrants to the area, transforming the tent town into a major settlement. It was around this time that Australia experienced its first & only civil uprising, the Eureka Rebellion of 1854 (to be explained further in a later post). Ballarat was proclaimed a city in 1871 and slowly transformed into an industrial city in 1880s. Today, the city has a population of around 90,000 people.

Much of the Victorian architecture from the 19th century has been preserved, most notably in the city centre. If it wasn’t for modern vehicles & streetlights, you would have thought that you had travelled back in time. We walked around, snapping digital photos of town hall under renovation, the Mining Exchange, the Old Colonists Hall, the Fine Art Gallery, and a hotel. Once my mother had finished her shopping, we drove back to the Inn, to rest & relax.

When it was time for dinner, we decided to try the restaurant next to the Inn called Leo’s @ Red Lion. This is a classy a-la-carte restaurant with a strict dress code so wear semiformal clothing. Local produce is used and several of the wines on the wine list come from the Pyrenees district. All I can say is that our steaks tasted very good & the wine was good as well. Give this restaurant a try; it’s expensive but worth it. (For 4 people, our bill was over $120AU).