Gold was discovered in Victoria in 1851, which led to prospectors far and wide making their way to small settlements like Bendigo and Ballarat to hopefully make their fortune. Over a short period of time buildings replaced tents and wooden shacks.
More than 170 years later Ballarat still retains much of its historic architecture, fueled by the immense wealth generated by gold, farming and industry. Visitors can admire the wide streets and stone buildings, while the living museum that is Sovereign Hill beckons tourists to experience what life was like during the great Victorian gold rush.
(Note: The two preceding paragraphs were researched and not AI generated !)
Also, Ballarat has book stores, and this is where my wife and I stopped for one night on our drive home from Adelaide.
1) That Little Bookshop, Soldiers Hill
This store contains thousands of "pre-loved" books over a wide range of subjects. The books are really well organised and on the day I visited there were plenty of customers.
The owner lives for books, and every year he organises a Book Week Bookfest where some of the money raised goes to a local community hub and non-profit social club, which is a great initiative. Here's the store's website.
2) The Known World Bookshop, Bakery Hill
Entering this store is like stepping back in time. There's taxidermied animals, world globes, a vintage record player, old flags, hanging mobiles... and lots of books. Near the rear of the store, descend the stairs to a small room full of vintage paperbacks. It really is a lovely store, almost from another time.
3) Everybody Knows Books, Ballarat
The owners of this secondhand bookstore love talking about books, and were deep in conversation with some customers when my wife and I arrived. It was interesting overhearing the conversation as we both perused the shelves.
Later during our visit, after asking if there was another stash of Bond books somewhere else in the store (sadly there wasn't), one of the owners told me they had over 15,000 books on the shelves with new stock arriving all the time. Rarer editions of books are held in a glass cabinet near the front counter. They also hold literary events and book launches/signings for local authors from around the region.
I highly recommend a visit to this book store in Ballarat, either physically or through
their website.
Thousands of secondhand paperbacks adorn the shelves here. On the day I visited a customer was asking for a particular Ken Follett title and the friendly owner immediately directed him to near the back of the store.
I managed to find a couple of James Bond continuation novels which I already own, but the owner told me a few months ago they'd had a complete series for sale which were quickly snapped up. He couldn't recall the covers.
If you visit this store, just be aware they close around 11am on Saturdays.
5) Collins Booksellers, Ballarat
It's great to still visit a bricks and mortar Collins Bookseller. Once located around Australia these booksellers are now mostly online. It's a real shame though because there's so much help and advice that can be gained from experts behind a counter, not to mention title recommendations. It's also very relaxing to shuffle through books and read the blurbs on the back of a book within a warm, friendly environment like in this book store.
And here's some books in an Op. Shop just around the corner...
Random photos of Ballarat incuding a couple of cobble stone laneways which cried out to me to be photographed...
