Summer fun in Ballarat

WITH the season of summer well underway, there is plenty of fun to be had in Ballarat to escape the summer heat.

Here are some recommendations for places to visit and things to see this January.

Cool off at the pool or park

Despite Ballarat’s lack of beach, there are still plenty of opportunities to cool off in town.

The Eureka Pool is open daily from 6am to 7pm weekdays, 6am to 6pm on Saturdays and 8am until 6pm on Sundays and public holidays.

A range of facilities are on site including a splash park, kiosk, barbeques, and a playground making it a perfect place to stay all day.

The Black Hill Pool is also open on days above 23 degrees and has a 25-metre pool as well as a toddler’s pool.

Free water fun can also be found with splash parks at Midlands Reserve in Ballarat North and Victory Park in Sebastopol.

Both sites are operated by a button system where the water runs for 15-minute periods.

Facilities on site also include toilets, shaded areas, barbeques and playgrounds.

Concerts for music lovers

Ballarat’s free Summer Sundays concert series will be returning to town this month.

The first of the four events held at the Botanical Gardens will take place on Sunday 7 January with Yacht Rock Revival, Chitra, The Pearlies and Roy Darby live on stage from 4pm.

A range of food and beverage vendors will also be on site as well as a bar with local beer, wine and cider.

“This free event will be a brilliant showcase of talent this year, including a great mixture of local, female-fronted, First Nations and culturally diverse performers,” said mayor Cr Des Hudson.

“I encourage Ballarat locals, as well as visitors, to flock to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on Sunday evenings in January to indulge in some brilliant entertainment in a beautiful environment.”

Become a zoo keeper

For animal lovers, why not visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park.

All the park’s usual attractions will be on including wildlife encounters with Australian favourites such as kangaroos, Cassowaries and Wombats.

Children aged six to 15 years old will also have the opportunity to become a zookeeper as part of the park’s junior keeper program.

The three-hour experience allows children to meet a range of animals and learn how staff care for them.

Get lost in a maze

For those wanting to head on an adventure, visit Maze House at Newlyn.

The 28-year-old hedge maze is full of surprises and sits at a temperature that can be two degrees cooler than surrounds.

Visitors can find a series of clues inside the maze to win a prize or play old-fashioned carnival games in the garden.

Bookings are essential and can me made at mazehouse.com.au.

Visit the city’s other lake

The lesser-known Lake Esmond, located in Canadian, is great spot for fishing, walking, and picnicking.

Extensive parkland surrounds the body of water and there are facilities on site including barbeques, public toilets, playgrounds and a water feature.

The area was a tile quarry until 1982 before it was replanted to become a lake and a reserve and it is named after early gold discoverer and Eureka Stockade leader, James Esmond.