Ballarat is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. Our house is within easy walking distance of the city centre. There you will find vibrant cafes and bars, shopping, art gallery and the train station. There are many attractions in Ballarat the major one being Sovereign Hill which is an open air museum built on an original mining site, showing life in the gold rush era. Buses will take you to small towns nearby such as Buninyong (where you will find the best apple turnovers in the world) and Creswick (home of Creswick Woollen Mills where gorgeous woollen articles can be purchased) and Clunes (plenty of interesting shops of all types,gallery, cafes and restaurants, site of the annual Book Fair). Trains can take you further afield to places like Maryborough (Central Goldfields), Geelong (Bellarine Peninsular), or Ararat (Grampians), all of which have an interesting history and plenty to explore. If you are really intrepid you can plan a trip to Victoria's snow fields, there are several; see https://www.beechworth.com/nearby_towns/victoria_snowfields.html. Make sure that you take all the recommended gear for snow conditions.