Ballarat is situated 110kms north-west of Melbourne and is the gateway to the Goldfields region. Ballarat is Victoria's largest inland city. Its inner areas retain much of the charm of its gold boom era. There are many original buildings which have been restored along with parks and gardens. Within two years of gold discovery, Ballarat had been transformed from a small rural township into a bustling town of 40,000 people. Today Ballarat is an attraction based on its historical links and also has many galleries and museums.

Ballarat is probably best known the The Sovereign Hill Gold Mining Township. Just outside the centre of Ballarat, Sovereign Hill is a reconstruction of a goldmining settlement. Here visitors take a step back in time to life as it was in the goldfields in the 1850's. You can pan for gold, take a tour of a mine and ride through the township on a horse drawn carriage. Sovereign Hill was the location of the Eureka Stockade in 1854 - Australia's only civil battle.

Bendigo is one of Victoria's most famous gold-mining towns. It is centrally located for trips to other gold towns. The gold rush began here in 1851 and gold production continued for 100 years. You can explore a mine 61 metres underground. Gothic and classic-style buildings have been designed in vast proportions, many richly ornamented with cast iron balconies. The posperity of Bendigo during the Goldrush days is reflecyted in the architecture of the time.

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