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The Begonia Festival, held over the Labor Day long weekend in March, is worth attending, with activities such as a street parade held in Sturt St and horticultural displays in and around the botanical gardens of Lake Wendouree.
Ballarat Begonia Festival is a carnival and community cultural festival held annually in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Run since 1953, it is a major tourist attraction of the city. Themed around the begonia flower which blooms in the temperate Ballarat climate, traditional features of the festival programme include floral displays and plantings on the main city streets, a centrepiece parade down Sturt Street including floats constructed by local community groups including sporting clubs, businesses, educational institutions, musicians and special interest groups and military tattoo.
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Western shore of Lake Wendouree. The museum operates a fleet of historic trams along 1.3 km of original track through the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. The museum is open Saturdays, Sundays, public and school holidays from 12:30 till 5PM. A 20 minute ride costs $4 adults, $2 for children. There is also a free display of stationary trams and memorabilia at the depot. An 1887 horse tram operates several times per year. Trams are also available for hire.
Mars Stadium
Ballarat's local 5000-seat stadium; it's one of the prime venues in regional Victoria for AFL, cricket, rugby, and soccer. Though its capacity is only a little more than 5,000, it is to be upgraded to a capacity of 10,000 by 2028.
Annual event over a weekend in May. Locations throughout Ballarat. Events and attractions include guided tours of the city centre, and also specific historic buildings and homes, art and fashion displays, vintage car displays, market stalls featuring rare LPs and books, trades displays, theatrical performances, themed dances, and rides on the original Ballarat trams.
The gallery has a large collection of both old and modern works. It also holds the iconic Eureka Flag, flown by the miners at the Eureka Stockade in 1854.
The "Disneyland" of Victoria, it is a recreation of Ballarat during the 1850s gold rushes. Staff wear period costumes and visitors can try their hand at panning for gold.