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G’day Ballarat! The Begonia Festival is here and the weather is looking pretty great for the weekend. If you’re heading into the gardens, enjoy it. If you’re steering clear of the crowds, there’s still plenty happening around town this week.

On another note, I need a hand. The next few weeks are looking stacked, and I’d love some help pulling together upcoming editions of Ballarat Life. If you’re community minded, detail oriented, and naturally curious about what’s happening around town, hit reply and let’s talk. And don’t worry, I’ll still be putting the final touches on each one.

– Luciano Devoto
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I’ll be honest. I used to think the Begonia Festival was just flowers (definitely not my jam). I’ve never been into gardening, much less flowers. But a few years ago, looking for things to do with my son, I reluctantly gave it a go. Best decision ever. I walked in thinking it was all petals and gardening, and walked out realising it’s Ballarat community at its best.

Now, it’s one of my favourite festivals of the year. Perfect picnic weather, plenty of different activities to keep you busy and even more food trucks to fuel the day. This year promises to be a good one too. There’s the Polyglot Theatre’s Bees immersive performance, interactive plant installations, trash puppets, the parade, and lots more.

Whether you’re thinking of going for the blooms or just a good day out, I’ll see you there with coffee in hand and a kid on a sugar high!

On Sunday 15 March, the crew of HMAS Ballarat (II) will march up Sturt Street to Town Hall, swords drawn, bayonets fixed, drums beating and band playing, to receive the Freedom of Entry to the City of Ballarat.

It's the highest ceremonial honour a city can give a military unit, and it only happens once in a decade or so. With 2026 marking 125 years of Australia's Navy, the timing couldn't be better.

Anna Kingston has been thinking about how feeding kids became something stressful rather than enjoyable. Her answer is the Ballarat Mums Supper Club, launching this Friday 6 March at the Vickers Street Community Hub in Sebastopol.

Doors open at 5.15pm, runs until 8pm, tickets are $10 through Humanitix. There'll be a simple vegetarian meal, kids' activity tables, wheelchair access, a breastfeeding nook and children under five eat free.

In Waubra, work is underway on a new playground that locals have been fundraising for over years. More than $330,000 has been raised through community effort, grants and support from groups including AusNet and the Victorian Government’s Tiny Towns Fund.

The project forms part of the Waubra Recreation Reserve Master Plan and was prioritised by the community. It’s a solid example of what can happen when a town backs itself and sticks with it.

I had a look through the February 25 Council meeting recap because there were a few items locals might want to know about. One of the big ones was councillors backing the formal process to discontinue Ring Road at the rail level crossing in Mitchell Park, tying into the Intermodal Freight Hub works. That means the temporary closure isn’t just a pause, it’s moving toward a permanent change with design and safety works planned next financial year.

Councillors also endorsed updates linked to Her Majesty’s Theatre, planning matters across the city and progress reports on community and infrastructure programs already underway.

Council is drafting its Disability Access and Inclusion Plan for 2026 to 2030, and it will shape how our city improves access to buildings, services, jobs and events over the next four years.

Around 7.4 per cent of locals live with disability, which is higher than the regional Victorian average. That makes this more than a policy document. It affects everyday life here. If you want to see what’s proposed or add your thoughts, you can read more on the MySay page

I love what Dave from Past & Present Photography has done here. This composite looks south down Barkly Street from the Ballarat East Fire Station Tower, comparing 1920 with 2016.

On the left, it’s mostly open ground, scattered buildings and a very different skyline. On the right, the street feels fuller, tighter, layered with rooftops, cars and decades of growth. Same place. Completely different chapter..

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Alrighty Ballarat. The top 10 venues serving up the tastiest, most talked about parmas are officially in.

These aren’t my picks, by the way. I asked Facebook and Instagram to nominate their favourite pubs, and here they are. And make sure you’re following us on social media so you can nominate your fave spots next time too.

Now it’s your turn. Cast your vote and let me know who makes the best parma in town.

Discover all 122 events, activities, and live music around Ballarat each week inside our events calendar. Check it out!

Big thanks for subscribing to Ballarat Life! If you’d like to support this free community newsletter and keep local stories brewing each week, you can shout me a coffee. ☕

Until next Thursday!

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