Ballarat

Ballarat is a town in the Goldfields region of central Victoria. After alluvial goldfields were played out, deep shaft miners were sunk, striking incredibly rich quartz reefs that were worked until the end of WWI. You can visit the "Gold Museum", the "Ballarat Fine Art Gallery", the large "Lake Wendouree", the Botanical Gardens and the "Eureka Stockade Centre", which has multimedia galleries simulating the battle. The "Ballarat Wildlife Park" has native animal, reptiles and a few exotics. The "Sovereign Hill Lodge YHA" offers a night in a dorm for A$ 21.