Ballarat

After many days of indecisiveness about what I really want to do and see in Melbourne, after a realization that I am nearing the end of my visit, I finally got a break. Andrew was going up to Ballarat to clear out his old house. That meant that I could get not only a ride up there, but also a place to spend the night.

Now, the reason I wanted to go to Ballarat in the first place is twofold, firstly the city is old and sleepy, and quite different to the other places I have seen here. Secondly, and by far more importantly, the place was created during the local gold rush, and they have recreated the old town in a place known as Sovereign Hill. It is not only the buildings, but the place is full of people in period dress, making and selling the crafts of the era.

There are a number of activities to witness and take part in, both educational and fun. These include panning for gold, touring the mines, candlemaking, witnessing a gold pour, and so on. The place is full of tourists though, which does take away from the feeling a bit. However, I must say I did enjoy the feeling of stepping into the past quite a bit.

The mine tour, which is probably the biggest single experience at Sovereign Hill was extremely interesting, and not only because I enjoy myself underground. The guide was a very humorous man and the whole exhibit has been well planned and created. And best of all, I struck gold in that mine! Walking out I noticed a $50 bill on the ground, and since no one else wanted it, I pocketed it

With the cost of entrance ($35) and the mine tour (£5) I was now still a full $10 up. I decided to celebrate by buying a few small things to take home as well a have lunch at the local bakery. I had been told to try the pies there, as I have not yet had the pleasure of trying an Australian pie. I had the lamb stew pie which came with tomato sauce, and boy was it amazing. The pie that is, not the ketchup.

After eating I walked around Sovereign Hill once more, taking the time to witness the musket firing demonstration, after which I left for the Gold Museum adjacent to Sovereign Hill, which is accessible with the same ticket. At this point I had already spent quite a few hours at Sovereign Hill and felt I had seen and done everything I found interesting. The gold museum proved to be quite a dry, but I would imagine it to be very educational as well.

Andrew picked me up, after he called me and asked when. The reason I could not call him was that my prepaid phone had to be activated online, at an address not provided on the instruction sheet provided. The phone was fine for receiving calls, but I could not access any outgoing services. This would prove to be quite an issue later.

We went back to Andrew’s, where I helped him and Nicole pack up their belongings in anticipation of the moving truck arriving the next morning. After this we met up with two of their friends for dinner at a place called Da Vinci’s. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed at the place, but it was still good food for a reasonable price. Also the first proper meal I have paid for here.

After dinner we had probably the most surreal experience ever. Nathan, one of the friends brought is trailer to help Andrew and Nicole move their trash. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have a place to move it to. We loaded it all into the trailer and went looking for an unguarded skip to chuck the contents into. We drove along small side streets, hauling the lopsidedly packed trailer behind us.

We finally found a construction site in a back alley that had an open skip. There was a man there though, so we had to wait until he left. We were rather sure he was just a bum, but sometimes it is hard to tell, so we decided on caution. It was a mission in stealth, and hilarity.