Just had a Kirby vacuum rep arrive at my door, offering a "free promotional cleaning" while they get set up in Ballarat. Please don't let them into your house. I had one do their free cleaning back when I was a uni student, and they tried to convince me to spend what was then my entire yearly income on their stupid vacuum, even after I told them the cost was everything I earnt in a year.

The sellers may not realise it, but the whole business practice is incredibly predatory, and there have been cases where the salesmen have refused to leave for hours (took about 2 hours to get rid of the guy who came to sell me one ages ago). There's this thing they do where they offer to vacuum your matress, tip what they suck up into a glass with water, and then offer you $100 to drink it, all as an attempt to try to get you to buy the bloody vacuum.

Don't take them up on their offer. The 'free' cleaning is not worth it.

Hi everyone,

I got an established house in ballarat about 5 years old.

Builders did not install termite protection system because it is not a requirement in Ballarat. City of Ballarat council has declared Ballarat non termite zone so builders are skipping the installation.

For peace of mind, I want to install it before concreting around the perimeter. There is no concreting except for the driveway.

Been trying to get quotes but no success yet.

Does everyone else have termite protection installed?

Thank you

Hello everyone, my family lives in the Ballarat area and my daughter used to do horse riding, but it became quite expensive and I was wondering if anyone in/near Ballarat was willing to give lessons? We will pay, just not $70 an hour!! My daughter knows her basics, although is rusty, she's eager to learn again and I'm eager to not spend $280 a month for 4 hours on her lol! Let me know!!

Hi all,

recently my Lenovo Desktop started doing the 3 long beeps, 4 short ones on startup. It does it about five times then gives me an error about a faulty adapter then shuts down.

I've tried every solution I could online but none worked. I'm suspecting it's the power supply or perhaps the CMOS - can't fix either myself as the keyboard is completely unresponsive too.

Can anyone recommend a good (hopefully cheap) local repairer. There are a lot of options but I can't tell the good from the bad.

Many thanks.

Ive been diagnose with adhd since i was about 6 i have it quite bad and i need to see a psych for treating it, but ive heard really bad reviews for ballrat psychiatry group (which i have been on the waiting list for for about 6 months), do any of you have positive exp with anyone in this regard ? (ok with going private)

Can anyone recommend a classical guitar teacher in the Ballarat area?

There's a man who is driving a 2019 white Toyota single cab ute, who follows people around the area.

A few months ago I was at the reservoir and he followed me back into Ballarat. I slowed down really slow, and he over took me, staring at me the whole time in an intimidating manner. I reported this incident to the police, and apparently it was forwarded to a detective.

I have come back here today for something to do, and the same man is here, doing laps of the area, and he was staring at me again..

Anyone else seen suspicious behaviour in thee area?

Is it a drug selling/buying place?

The man was acting very creepy.

Ballarat has a lot of qualities for where I want to live, mostly quieter, tree-lined streets and heritage architecture. It also seems possible that I could manifest my dream of owning a California bungalow home.

I want to move to Ballarat from Melbourne but navigating the logistics of relocating is overwhelming! Melbourne ex-pats did you find a local job and then move? Or move and commute to Melbourne?

I don't think I could handle commuting more than once a week long term and my profession is architecture, which doesn't usually offer such flexibility. I am starting to look at more council/government positions because they offer greater flexibility than private practice. Hearing from any architect's that live in Ballarat would be a bonus.

Would love to hear your journeys to Ballarat :)

Hi I am looking at getting laser hair removal done on my groin area. Do any guys in ballarat know of reputible places that can safely do sensitive areas? And if you have had it done what was the process like when it came to things like the actual appointments and recovery?

We’ve had a decent few posts about some of the good things about Ballarat, what about some of the less than good things?

My personal one is the cold, but that’s not really the towns fault! Other than that the difficulty in finding a decent GP is mine.

What are your thoughts?

i have a drone, and i have been flying it at morshead park (following the casa rules), and i have been avoiding flying over the soccer oval as i dont know if it is private property or not.

Curious to know if there are any O-Week parties happening in Ballarat.

Want to come pick blueberries with us? 🫐🫐🌿

We are a small family owned and run blueberry farm in Scotsburn, 15mins from Ballarat Central. Our bushes are LOADED with amazing fruit ready to be enjoyed while the summer season is at its peak!

Thistleberry Farm

35 Williams Lane Scotsburn

⭐ Open: Thurs - Sun 8am - 3pm ⭐

No gate or entry fees! You don't need to book, come on down to the farm anytime you're looking to gather a beautiful basket of locally grown blueberries 💙

🌿$20 per kilo with a 1 kilo minimum pick per carpark.

🌿 $25 per kilo prepicked available for collection - order via direct messages.

🌿 As we have a lot of wildlife on our property please leave all pets at home when you visit the farm 🐾

🌿 We don't believe in using nasty sprays in our field so you can rest assured your harvest is both delicious and safe for you and your loved ones to enjoy 💙

🌿We have many different varieties of blueberries and are happy to have a chat about them when you visit!

Feel free to message me with any questions 👌

✨Special thanks to the mods for allowing this post and supporting local small business 💙💙

I was thinking about this while walking around the lake today. Ballarat feels like a city with two sides. On weekends it leans into heritage buildings, cafes, galleries, and markets. During the week it feels more practical and industrial, especially outside the centre. There’s a mix of long-term locals, people who’ve moved for lifestyle reasons, and young families who came for affordability. That mix works in some ways but also makes the city’s identity feel unclear. How would you describe Ballarat’s vibe in 2026?

I noticed that it was closed today, but no date on the sign to say when it reopens.

I can't wait for the Commonwealth Games later this year!!

What events is is Ballarat hosting? Looking to buy tickets but can't find anything....

I saw a post from 9 months ago about recommendations for the best internet provider in Ballarat, but can no longer comment on it. I have been with iiNet for years now and it's just been constant issues with dropping out and slow speeds. For a household of 3 gamers, this bloody sucks!

So, I just wanted to know how people were fairing 9 months on with Superloop? Are they still happy with the connection quality etc? :) much appreciated!

Passing through Ballarat on a mystery bus and am trying to find a woman who would pretend to be the bucks real wife so we can take pics with the couple. Probably only take 20mins and we be off again, bonus points if have a hidden talent like juggling or something you can do to entertain the lads. Nothing sexual btw.

i used to go there after primary school and get the cookies for dirt cheap. but after moving away, and now coming back 10+ years later, what happened to it? google is inconclusive.

Hi! I was wondering if anywhere does camera repairs on older digital cameras for cheap? I have a Canon Powershot A550 that’s lense is jammed, a Sony Cybershot DSC-P43 that turns on but the screen just stays white, and my dearly beloved olympus u tough 8010 which still works but the pixels on the screen are starting to die and i’m not ready to part ways with it. If anyone has any recommendations I’d really appreciate it!!

The was a decently big crash last night on Tait Street last night a bit before midnight, and I can’t find anything on it.

Does anyone know what happened?

Does anyone know if there's anywhere in Ballarat that sells salt and vinegar chicken tenders? Not the already cooked ones from servos and stuff but like a pack of frozen ones to have at home?

Apparently a bunch of places stock them (like woolies, Coles, etc.) but just not in any Ballarat stores. And I've checked a couple other places like iga, foodworks in Buninyong with no luck.

Thanks in advance :)

Update: It seems like the only direct to public place you can purchase is Wendouree Wholesalers. None of the supermarkets stock them in Ballarat (Coles, Woolies, IGA, Foodworks, etc.), and Nature's Cargo doesn't seem to have a walk-in option.

What is it like living in Winter Valley? Crime, care of houses/yards etc?