G'day Ballarat!

I just learned we drank 32,413 hot chocolates during the Winter Festival, which feels less like a statistic and more like a collective achievement. 😅

This week, I’m sharing a Four Corners series that may change how you read supermarket labels, Ballarat’s best pie has been crowned, World Press Photo brings a harder look at the world to the Mining Exchange, and more train disruption is coming.

Grab a cuppa and enjoy the read.

– Luciano Devoto
PS: Don’t be greedy! Share this edition with your family and friends.

I normally keep this newsletter close to home, but what is sitting in our supermarket trolley is close enough. Four Corners’ two-part investigation Duped: Food Exposed digs into whether the food Australians buy is what the label claims.

Using forensic testing, undercover reporting and insider accounts, part one examines tomato products, turmeric, eggs and seafood, exposing gaps in food testing and regulation. Part two follows chocolate and fruit supply chains, asking who pays the hidden human cost behind supermarket shelves.

Both episodes are available on ABC iview, and your pantry may look different afterwards.

Ballarat’s pie debate has a winner. The Shared Table in Buninyong took Best Pie and Best Savoury with its Sher Wagyu Reuben, while Cookie Cult won Best Sweet and Sovereign Hill Best Bakery. All 30 entries remain available until Monday 31 August, with People’s Choice voting for a $1,200 getaway.

Ballarat’s first Assistance Dog Awareness Day lands in Sebastopol this Sunday, with live demonstrations showing how these highly trained dogs support people with disability and medical conditions. Entry is free from 10 am to 3 pm at Phoenix P-12 Community College. One important note: family pets need to sit this one out.

Ballarat’s Seniors Awards are looking for residents who keep quietly making the city better. Nominations are open for volunteers aged 60 and over, or First Nations residents aged 50 and over, across community service, leadership and inclusion categories. If someone deserves recognition, nominations close Thursday 10 September.

I usually keep Thursday reading on the brighter side, but this exhibition earns an exception. World Press Photo brings work by 42 award-winning photographers to the Mining Exchange, covering conflict, climate, displacement and everyday life. Entry is free daily from 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 August to Sunday 20 September.

Demolition has begun at Eastwood Leisure Complex, kicking off a $17.54 million redevelopment. The existing basketball stadium will be refurbished and joined by meeting rooms, activity spaces, kitchens and a community events venue. Local builder Nicholson Construction is doing the work, with completion due in late 2027.

Council wants ideas for improving the Grandview Grove, College Street and Violet Grove shopping strips. Residents and traders can comment on safety, seating, shade, greenery, footpaths, public art and community events. Feedback closes Sunday 30 August, so this is the moment to request something better than another bench.

Ballarat line passengers are in for nearly three weeks of timetable gymnastics. Coaches and buses will replace trains for all or part of the journey from Wednesday 12 to Monday 31 August, with the affected section changing throughout the works. Some services will leave early, and bikes cannot be carried on replacement coaches.

Décor Room Victoria is moving from Ararat to 2–4 Main Road, Bakery Hill, where it plans to open a flagship furniture and homewares showroom later this month. The business specialises in premium ex-display furniture, with a new Café Décor concept also planned for the site. Fit-out began on 1 August.

4🛏️ 2🛁 3🚗 | House | 1,036m²

Four bedrooms, panoramic views and a backyard that has clearly been given the main-character treatment. There’s a solar-heated pool, outdoor kitchen, pizza oven and built-in bar, while the master suite has its own bath and doors opening straight onto the deck. This is Mount Clear doing resort mode.

What do you reckon it’s asking?

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Until next Thursday!

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