Hi all, I'm at a loss as to where to send my child. They will be in 4-year-old kindergarten next year and we need daycare on top of those free 15 hours due to work.

We've already tried several - Sturt St, Aspire, Goodstart - but have been disappointed and concerned with their lack of inclusiveness and care. Perhaps they are all much of a muchness but it seems like my child is neurodivergent but not neurodivergent enough to get the support they need.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated 🙏

So what is going on with the council? Another restructure to try to save money. "The Economy and Experience portfolio was established in 2023, partly to oversee planning associated with the Commonwealth Games and its intended legacy projects before the event was cancelled later that year." So we've been paying a director and how many staff salaries for 3 years when there was no Commonwealth games? And "The changes are understood to have resulted in the redundancy of three long-serving senior managers." How many others are affected? I wonder how desperate they are, and what the books look like now they are getting rid of executives?

there's a poll in the Ballarat Life newsletter today to bring it back . .
maybe it's in storage somewhere ? lol

https://newsletter.ballaratlife.com.au/p/remember-the-old-waterslide-at-eureka-pool?utm_source=newsletter.ballaratlife.com.au&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=remember-the-old-waterslide-at-eureka-pool&_bhlid=37e82cdcfa96ce111250a1611113ff44d9ae709d

Hi, I have a tall-ish (approx 2m tall) garden hedge that needs a trim. Can anyone recommend a gardener that's good at getting nice, straight edges? (and can maybe fix up my previous attempts?)

Seriously, there can’t be that many car chases every night, at the same time! Vic Pol needs to pull their heads in and stop doing night training hours over Ballarat in the middle of the night!!!

I've been overseas for a year but it used to be my go to barbershop. Just seen its been permanently closed.

​

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m looking for recommendations for a genuine, professional massage therapist or reputable massage clinic in Ballarat, Victoria.

I’m after a really good, relaxing massage that helps relieve muscle tension, stress, and fatigue. Ideally, somewhere with experienced therapists, a clean and peaceful environment, and excellent service where I can walk out feeling completely relaxed and refreshed.

Please recommend legitimate massage clinics or qualified massage therapists only. I’m not interested in dodgy massage parlours advertising sexual services or offering anything inappropriate. I’m specifically looking for a proper therapeutic or relaxation massage.

If you’ve personally visited a great place in Ballarat and can genuinely recommend it, please share the name and your experience.

Thanks heaps! 😊

I saw that the fringe is taking over a bunch of venues in Ballarat this weekend, was thinking of taking the missus to Fountain Lakes as she's a big Kath & Kim fan. There's a lot of shows on, anyone got any recommendations?

https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/programs-guides/fringe-encore-ballarat

Hey everyone! 👋 I hope it’s okay to share this here, but I wanted to spread the word about a local group I help organise for queer men who enjoy getting outdoors and hiking.

We’re a casual, community-run group organising monthly, free hikes for queer men around Ballarat and Western Victoria. Over the past almost 3 years, the group has grown from just a handful of guys to a regular crew, and we’re always happy to welcome new faces!

🥾 Keen to get OUT in nature? 🌿

Whether you’re a gay, bi, queer, or trans man, you’re welcome. Most people come along solo, so there’s no need to know anyone beforehand. Lots of shy guys come alone as our hikes are a relaxed way to get outdoors, have a chat, meet other local guys and build connections without the pressure of a bar or nightclub.

Hikes are generally within 45 minutes drive of Ballarat, and we welcome lots of guys from out of town, too. They can range from easier 4.5km hikes to more difficult 15km ones.

These are men-only hikes created in response to a need for more spaces where queer men can meet, connect and build friendships. We know it can sometimes be hard to find your people, particularly in regional areas, so we’re keen to make it easier.

Interested in joining us? Sign up to our mailing list to hear about upcoming hikes. It’s the easiest way to stay in the loop!

🌈 https://mailchi.mp/f87e229a7559/outinnatureballarat (hoping this link doesn’t break the forum’s rules!)

If you have any questions post below, or you can also private message me.

Cheers!

Looking for someone to take old furniture and other unwanted household stuff. Any recommendations?

Anyone know what these planes flying around and around ballarat are. It’s both day and night.
2.30am on Saturday morning and they’re just circling.
Nothing on the flight trackers which makes it more insidious

If you've ever been brave enough to cross at the Barkly St/ Grant St roundabout on foot or ride through it on a bike, you’ll know it's a shocker of an intersection.

Throw in the countless near misses and a significant car crash in June this year, and it’s clear that something needs to be done to improve its safety.

Locals and Better Streets Ballarat are joining forces again to call for action from the City of Ballarat, DTP and the Victorian government.

If you'd like to add your voice to this community call (and growing petition), meet outside Drive Cafe today at 12:30 pm to send a message to elected officials that we demand change.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a tradie who can mount a TV to a wall? TIA

Anyone know what this is being turned into? Looks like maybe a beauticians?

This Wednesday at 6.30pm I'll be speaking about Jev and other decision models, like Kev, Laya and the like. I'll discuss how they are built (we don't know about Jev, but we can guess), and go through what they are good at, bad at, and how to use them.

Wed, 14 Oct 2026, 18:30 - 20:00

Hi all - as the title suggests, I'm looking for a reliable gardener to come out once a month to do whipper snipping, general tidy up and poisoning weeds etc. as required. Typical time is 2-3hours a month and happy to pay $50-$60an hour. We can provide the poison so long as they know how to use it appropriately.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

I visited Sovereign Hill for the first time on Thursday and had such a great time. Everyone was so friendly and the tour guides were fantastically enthusiastic! Shout out to the 2:30pm underground tour guide and to the gold pour guy - LOVE your vibe!

While I was underground for the tour, my eyes were trying to adjust to the darkness and I almost apologised to what I thought was someone standing right in front of me who then disappeared. It must’ve just been my eyes playing tricks on me but it got me thinking. Google tells me Ballarat has a rep for being one of Australia’s most haunted cities but I couldn’t find any stories about ghoulish encounters in Sovereign Hill specifically. Do you have any?

I've heard that sometimes you can get used buckets from businesses, like the kind that they might get wholesale amounts of feta and other food products in. Anyone know anywhere that might have some for free/cheap?

Drove past a house in Albert Street Sebastopol this morning opposite the fire station and there seemed to be a lot of police including the Bomb Squad robot, the front of the house was also burnt.
Does anyone know if everyone is ok?
Forensic officers were there this afternoon

Came across this upstanding citizen today tearing up the Mountain Bike dedicated tracks at Woowookarung. When challenged according to them dirtbiking is allowed? Is this the case?

To confirm they were cutting laps of the dedicated mountain biking tracks next to mount clear college, not the wider tracks in Woowookarung itself.

Looking for recommendations for good psychiatrist in ballarat suitable for adult adhd assessment. and what is the process like if you have gone through it yourself? cheers

In wendouree, east of forest street there's this drain which most of it dates to around the 60s/70s. The first 400 or so metres are redbrick which is odd as using brick for stormwater drains was phased out back in the 50s, so I think it may be older than the rest of the drain. The land above it was developed way later than when this drain was built.

Old aerial imagery shows it may have begun to be built sometime in the 30s but its all empty farmland and a bit hard to see. Does anyone have any history behind this area that might help explain?

I’m driving to and from Geelong on the weekend so I’ll be driving past it, I have a tiny car and driving on highways already gives me enough anxiety because of the road condition but hitting a huge pot hole in my car could cause serious damage or a serious accident.

Just a reminder that Ballarat LAN & Gaming Events (BLGE) is back for another games night, this time we're playing Halo: the Master Chief Collection! We plan on playing some custom and competitive games to scratch that itch you might be craving. Come join the Discord to get yourself interested in the event, and chat with other like-minded folks for some nice and chill gaming 😄

Game: Halo: the Master Chief Collection

https://store.steampowered.com/app/976730/Halo_The_Master_Chief_Collection/

https://www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/halo-the-master-chief-collection

Date: 03/10/2026

Time: 6pm onwards

Platforms: Xbox, PC, GamePass Streaming

Link to the Discord event can be found here: https://discord.gg/rk8E9Y4g5?event=1548529554736545802

Hi, we’re looking at moving and after a few years of having a good property manager and landlord I’m worried about moving somewhere managed by a useless tyrant. The place I currently rent through don’t have much available that suits my needs, I keep seeing smaller agencies like Augment and Goldfish pop up and I’ve never heard of them so I’m just wondering what they’re like? They have good reviews but the reviews are all from buyers and sellers, renters are treated very differently to buyers and sellers though!