Only 90 minutes from Melbourne by car or train, Ballarat is an easy getaway to add to your travel wish list. While there’s plenty to see and do year-round, here’s 9 reasons to visit sooner rather than later.
3 WAYS TO ENJOY NATURE
The Ballarat Begonia Festival (8-10 March) sees hundreds of rare begonias take over the Robert Clark Conservatory. This free festival transforms the Ballarat Botanical Gardens into a wonderland of colour, with entertainment, market stalls, kids’ activities and floral photo ops galore. If you can’t make the main event, the begonias will remain on display for a couple of weeks afterward.
The fields at Dunnstown’s Pick Your Own Sunflowers also come into bloom from late summer to early autumn. These beauties have a short season so be sure to book your session before they sell out.
This is also the perfect time of year for a picnic at Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree. Explore the Ballarat Tramway Museum, ride the Golden City Paddle Steamer or stop by a lakeside cafe. Bliss! 
3 MUST-VISIT ATTRACTIONS
Hand-feed dozens of free-roaming kangaroos at the Ballarat Wildlife Park or book a private animal encounter to get up close to koalas, wombats, tigers, meerkats and other cute creatures.
Journey back to the Ballarat gold rush of 1851 at outdoor museum Sovereign Hill. Take an underground mine tour, gather the family for a costumed photograph, or catch the evening sound and light show AURA.
The fantasy-filled Kryal Castle is open on weekends and every day during the Victorian school holidays. See knights battle on horseback and try your hand at potion-making. You can even spend the night in a castle-themed suite!
TOP TIP: Get The Ballarat Pass to save up to 10% on packaged attraction tickets.
3 SWEET EATS
Ballarat’s most famous sweet treats are the raspberry drops made by hand at Sovereign Hill. Along with the original boiled sweets, the drops now come in a variety of sweet and sour flavours.
Lilly’s at Eureka has a fun twist on Ballarat’s history of mining. Enjoy goldmine pancakes that come topped with chocolate ‘dirt’ hiding buried treasure (rock candy).
The Little Cupcake serves up Insta-worthy takeaway treats in tiny portions. You’ll find this cute corner store on the way from the Ballarat Wildlife Park to Sovereign Hill.
That’s just a few ideas to get you off the couch this weekend! For more travel inspiration, deals and offers, check out Visit Ballarat.