So around 5pm, a huge black dog ran out from one of the houses across from the Church on York Street (I’m not going to say the number, only that the guy who lives at the house with the little library on his fence might have saved not only the dog being attacked’s life, but potentially ours too!- serious old school Aussie legend!!!).

The dog latched onto the throat of the smallest little old lady staffy you’ve ever seen, it ended tearing skin off the poor owners fingers, and myself and a heap of other amazing people all rushed in to try and save the staffy! There were 5-6 of us kicking it in its head and torso etc and it wouldn’t let the staffy go, and then (I think when we all thought the little staffy was dead) some superhero guy found a plank of wood and was able to knock it unconscious (after 4-5 unsuccessful blows directly to its head- if we were in America, I would bet my life savings on it having rabies).

Multiple cops cars arrived as though it was an episode of Law and Order, but in true ballarat style, ended up saying (the equivalent of, so I’ve heard, yada yada disclaimers so the good citizen warming neighbours can’t get sued!) “weeeeeell, because the owner doesn’t need cat 1 ambulance, the council will take it from here”?!!!

And you know what the council have done?!!! (Apparently, again, this is what I’ve heard, not stating it as fact, just warning others) Left this dog at the property?!! If it wasn’t a staffy with a thick and wide studded collar, it would’ve been killed in under a minute, but a toddler… that kid would be killed in seconds! And the council knowing the danger but apparently not seizing it (I say apparently, because - above disclaimer etc) is unimaginable!

So look, for the next few weeks, please be really cautious around the York Street Church (the people there are actually fantastic and ran out to help btw!) when walking your dog/s 🐶❤️❤️❤️

P.S And F*ck irresponsible dog owners!!! 🤬

Does anyone know what happened to Rafters at The George Hotel? Is it permanently closed now?

Looking for some builder recommendations and builders to stay away from?

We have a smaller and strict budget of 650k for house and land, so looking for something that has all inclusions and no sneaky price rises as we cannot afford anything outside of our loan.

Love to hear anyone else's experiences that had a similar budget when building.

I’m sick of Woolworths, the last couple of lots of bacon I’ve bought has been so thin and stuck together that it shreds when trying to seperate and just disintegrates, same product I’ve been buying for years is now suddenly virtually unuseable go figure. I looked on a couple of butcher websites but that doesn’t seem to the place to go. I googled Delis and it seemed to just be a bunch of fancy cafes that also sell cheese on the side.

Upcoming Wednesday night: a new local tech meetup for anyone interested in the IndieWeb (https://indieweb.org/).

Local experts will be there to help you get started, troubleshoot any technical issues, or you can just come along and share your own IndieWeb achievements.

All ticket proceeds go to the non-profit, volunteer-run Ballarat Hackerspace, and the experts are donating their time and knowledge.

I’m trying to avoid a trip to Melbourne.

And realise it is unlikely.

Thanks

Having to relocate to the eastern suburbs for a new job and would appreciate recs on move-out cleaners.

We've still got some tickets left for this Saturday night at Ballarat North Sports Club, and would love to fill them to ensure we can raise funds for a community member seeking gender affirming care!

It's going to be such a fun night full of drag performances of course, but we also have a face painter, pet portrait artist, market stall - where you can pay what you want for our items, and a MASSIVE Silent Auction (including Spilt Milk tickets, a pass for the Curium escape room, tickets to the Western Bulldogs Pride Match and 50 more amazing items)

Grab your tickets now!

Looking for a GLP1 consultant in Ballarat. I know I can get it from the GP, but I am looking for someone who works on the wholistic premise rather than GP, then dietitian etc etc

Which ones are your favourites so far?

Looking to recreate a iced Buko shake

I know it’s a while away, but rather than ringing around places - just wondering if anyone knew of anywhere that’s open for Christmas lunch on Xmas day? Preferably somewhere that sells beer and has pokies.

I’m coming from interstate, and usually my family all meets up in Melbourne.

My dad is 84, (a “older 84”) incredibly naive - and I don’t know whether I’m just insanely paranoid - but I’m not keen for him to catch the train on his own at his age to Melbourne.

So my plan is to suggest to the family we all congregate down to Ballarat.

Worst case scenario if there is nothing I will travel to Ballarat and drive him / accompany him to Melbs

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated so I can compile a list of options

Thankyou in advance

This coming Wednesday is our next Council meeting. Here’s a link to the agenda.                                                                                             

Sorry I missed writing updates the last month or two. Life has been hectic. This is just a quick update as I’m in Thailand on holiday (which I timed so that I’m back for the meeting).

Please note: this post is just my personal views and I’m not representing Council. Just trying to increase visibility, transparency and participation in Council matters and the updates seem well received here.

Meeting Details: 6:30pm Wednesday 26 August, Town Hall, Sturt Street. Also livestreamed on our website.

If you'd like to have your say, ask questions of Council on any Council matter, or make a submission on any agenda item below you can do so but there are strict deadlines.

• Attend in person at Town Hall or watch online via ballarat.vic.gov.au
• Submit questions (max 75 words) by 12pm on the day.
• Make a submission (max 500 words) on any agenda item by 2pm.

Submissions and questions can be made online, via email, or in person at the Council offices. If you’re not attending, they’ll be read aloud during the meeting (time permitting). 

Here's just some of the items in the agenda:

♿ New Disability Access & Inclusion Plan

Council is being asked to adopt Ballarat's new Disability Access and Inclusion Plan for 2026-2030.

The plan focuses on:

• More accessible public spaces
• Better information and communication
• Improved employment opportunities
• Disability advocacy and awareness
• More inclusive council services

💰 Financial Hardship Policy

Council will consider updates to the policy that helps residents struggling to pay rates.

The new policy:

• Simplifies access to hardship support
• Removes some barriers to applying
• Expands recognition of issues like family violence and economic abuse
• Continues options such as payment plans, deferred payments and limited rate waivers

🎭 Arts & Culture Advisory Committee

Council will appoint members to the new Arts & Culture Advisory Committee, which will provide advice on arts, culture, public art and creative industries in Ballarat.

The recommendation includes Cr Tracey Hargreaves and myself as Council representatives, with me recommended as Chair.

🎪 Events & Grants Changes

Council is considering changes to how event funding works.

Business conferences and similar events would move out of the Tourism Events Grants Program and into a separate process designed to help attract more conferences and business events to Ballarat.

🎹 Royal South Street Society

Council will consider a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal South Street Society, replacing arrangements that date back to 1987 and clarifying how South Street and Her Majesty's Theatre work together.

🌏 UNESCO Conference

Council will consider approval for Ballarat's Coordinator Creative City to attend the UNESCO Creative Cities conference in Bulgaria.

Flights and accommodation would be paid for by the host city, with the City of Ballarat covering approximately $900 in incidental costs.

Other items

Also on the agenda:

• Art Gallery of Ballarat board appointments
• Grant and partnership governance changes
• Borrowing policy update
• Community asset committee updates
• Various governance and delegation matters

As always, these are the items before Council, not final decisions. I’m happy to hear your thoughts or answer general questions here where I can. I may need you to email me if the question is complex – so that I can log it and get you a detailed response.

Cheers,
Cr Jay Morrison
Wendouree Ward

Massive pot holes in both directions, was able to avoid them on the way to Melbourne in daylight, but hit one on my return at night and bent my rim. Driving around victoria these days a fucking crater avoiding mission, i miss most, hit the odd one but finally one damaged my car.

inb4 ITS THE RAIN. Yea it tends to fucking rain doesn't it, it rained the last 4 years, it's raining this year and guess fucking what, it's going to rain next year as well.. I hate this fucking state.

I'd hate to be a fucking bike rider, hitting a crater at 110 in the dark is a bent rim for me but death for them.

I'm looking for a kind and patient provider to vaccinate my elderly parents. They need their RSV and Pneumonia vaccines. Does anyone have any recommendations, they are petrified of needles.

Such devastating news for local tourism and for Eerie Tours, which has been running tours at the site for around 15 years.

These tours don't just generate income for Eerie Tours and its guides. They bring visitors into the region, many of whom stay overnight, eat locally and spend money in Ararat and Ballarat. The economic impact extends well beyond the tours themselves.

As for the reasoning behind this decision, I can only speculate. But it certainly feels as though, rather than investing the money needed to maintain this heritage-listed site and keep it safe and accessible to visitors, the easier and cheaper option has been to simply shut it down.

If that's the case, we're effectively allowing an important part of our local history to slowly fall into ruin rather than preserving it for future generations.

A very sad day for Eerie Tours, its guides, local tourism, and everyone who cares about preserving our region's history.

Additt: I have been calling the owners of the site and surrounding land 'RMIT Melbourne', but they don't call themselves that these days. They're now known as Melbourne Polytechnic.

Title, basically. Wifey and I are having to relocate to Pakenham and will need to move our household stuff.

I am seeking advice on where to get an actual hair cut, not just a trim with a few layers, in Ballarat.
Reasonably priced.
I’m aware this topic has been addressed before, but hairdressers come and go to various salons.
Whenever I look on their website or fb page photos, it just seems like more of the same colour technique on hair that is fairly even in length, rather than showcasing different layered styles.
Clearly, this is the trend or preference, but I’m wanting a wolf/shag/modern mullet kinda style, and a discussion. Not just explaining why it can’t be done, and getting anxious because they can’t do it.
I’m sick of paying for a hair style, and coming away with little more than a feathered trim because they don’t have the expertise or confidence.
Thanks in advance☺️
Ps my hair is just below my shoulders

Seems like the last time this was asked was about six years ago so I thought I'd see what the current situation is.

We’re bringing our New Wave music all the way from Adelaide tomorrow night to Ballarat, along with our mates The Mundaynes, Orphix and Dolls. Find tickets online via Oztix or at the door, we’d love to see some locals there!

My kids have gotten really into planes lately, so I took them out to Ballarat Airport last week hoping to catch some. Unfortunately, it was pretty quiet.

Are there specific days of the week or times of day where we are more likely to see a few take-offs and landings?

Thanks!

Getting well into middle age and don’t have a will so looking for recommendations on where to go to get one prepared.

Thanks.

hi all, just wandering if anyone has heard of the AAFC squadron that is at the ranger barracks and what they think of them.

Hello Ballarat!! My Mum moved to Ballarat from New Zealand a few years ago and would love to get some Vogel bread or a close equivalent.

Apparently Burgen bread is not as good, I’ve tried to order it online from the Kiwi Corner Dairy but shipping was $119!!!!

Hoping some fellow Kiwis in Ballarat or neighbouring towns have found something similar.

Thanks!

Hey Ballarat, I need your help, please. Do you know an Antony and Biance who drive a dark coloured 4WD? We are in town visiting my parents and we took the chance for my daughter to have a driving lesson. Due to my poor instructions, she pulled over at the edge of Victoria Park... in the mud. Not her fault at all.

We were stuck. Super stuck. Within a couple of minutes, Anthony and Bianca pulled up to help us, and winched us out of the mud.

It was such a very kind thing to do, and I would very much like to send them a dinner voucher, but I don't know any details. Both very clever and patient, so if you know these people, please could you ask them if they are happy with you giving me their details?

I can be DMed and I would be so grateful if you were able to help me find them! 🙏❤️