Goldfields
The Clunes Booktown Festival returns this May with headline authors Richard Flanagan, Eddie Ayres, Jaclyn Moriarty, Josephine Wilson and David Ritter and many other guest speakers joining the historic country town in north-west Victoria for a festival of the book filled with ideas and arts.
The popular two-day event on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 May will feature a series of panel discussions and Q&A style talks with leading Australian authors.
Escape the City and its surrounds and make a day trip or weekend away to experience the magic of Sovereign Hill in the evening.
Running from Saturday 30 June – Sunday 22 July, Sovereign Hill will be once again staging their Winter Wonderlights Christmas in July event, however this year, it will have more light projections and more animation than ever before - visitors will be swept up in the excitement of a special yuletide Christmas event as Sovereign Hill is illuminated like never before.
As the name suggests, this sweet little interactive playground has a Indigenous theme throughout and encorporates animals, musical instruments, mosaics and wooden structures.
It's set in a pretty 'natural' setting and holds a lot of interest for littlies.
Sovereign Hill is an engaging re-creation of early goldrush Ballarat. A truly magical place and with the extra special touch of Christmas in July it makes the experience at Sovereign Hill even more special.
It's an an excellent living museum for those who like to get a hands-on experience of history. Friends of Sovereign Hill regularly join the scene, dressed in the clothes of the 1850's and often adding to the atmosphere with re-enactments. You can go on a mine tour (extra $), watch the mine machinery, have a go at gold-panning, get photographed in dress-ups, ride in a a Cobb & Co coach, go ten pin bowling and more.
Just across the road from the stunning Ballarat Botanic Gardens is the ever impressive Lake Wendouree Adventure Playground.
We love this place for sooo many reasons: the flying fox ride, the maze, the swings plus lots of good little pathways for scootering around. And get this; there's a disabled swing too plus loads of nooks and crannies to make any kid deliriously happy. Needless to say, it’s free. The playground is very well constructed and will give a lot to the imagination.
