Ballarat is one of the symbols of the Australian gold rush, with its superb examples of Victorian architecture and its Wild West air. Like its neighbour Bendigo, the city has become a dynamic town worth a detour for its old mine converted into an open-air museum, Sovereign Hill, next to the Gold Museum, where you can admire impressive gold nuggets. Located 120 km northwest of Melbourne, Ballarat is at the heart of the mining history of Victoria and the Goldfields.It was here that gold was found in abundance in 1851! Cossue, Ballarat is home to the most beautiful examples of Victorian architecture in the country. Ballarat is one of Victoria's largest cities with over 85,000 inhabitants. Located inland, 120 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, Ballarat remains a symbol for Australians. Ballarat is a historic city par excellence because of its beautiful Victorian buildings perfectly preserved, Ballarat is also for Australians where Australian democracy was born! The city of Ballarat is connected to Melbourne by a motorway and express train service. If since the exhaustion of the gold deposits, Ballarat found its calm and lost many inhabitants, the visit of the city is however worth the detour. In fact, this city offers a particular atmosphere where the history of the proud of gold is everywhere. These buildings built in a classic Victorian rococo style tell the history of the city. Among the most emblematic buildings is Her Majesty's Theatre. This building, built in 1875, is the oldest theatre in Australia. Other buildings worth seeing include the Mining Exchange Building dating from 1888 and many beautifully decorated Victorian pubs, chic hotels and banks. There was erected the revolutionary barricade of the miners, the Eureka Stockhade. At this location today stands a very informative information centre where visitors can discover the details of the famous episode of Australian history.The city also houses remarkable botanical gardens to the northwest of the city as well as a superb art exhibition venue, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. The latter, whose funds were financed by miners who made their fortune, contains more than 6,000 works from the Australian colonial era to the present day.