G'day Ballarat! I wasn’t expecting toilets to become a recurring theme in this newsletter, but here we are. Woowookarung might finally be getting some, while Victoria Park has just lost theirs until November.

Elsewhere, the new hospital has gone colourful for a very Ballarat reason, Australia’s best cross-country runners are taking over Vic Park, and someone has decided coffee and LEGO belong under the same roof.

Enjoy the read.

– Luciano Devoto

If you’ve wondered why the new Ballarat Base Hospital tower is looking rather colourful, there’s a local reason behind it.

More than 1,100 façade panels now cover the building, with the colour palette inspired by five parts of our region: Burrumbeet Plains, Buninyong, Ballarat city, Lake Wendouree and Creswick Forest.

They’re not just decorative either. The façade is designed to bring more natural light into patient rooms, with the $655 million redevelopment due for completion in 2027.

Vic Park becomes a national championship course this Saturday, with some of Australia’s best distance runners racing for national titles and a share of $25,000 in prize money.

The Australian Cross Country Championships run from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday 22 August, with races from under-11s through to open and para athletes. Better still, spectators can wander in for free, with food trucks and a big screen on site.

A new Ballarat program will combine non-contact boxing and creative writing to support young women and gender-diverse survivors of abuse aged 16 to 24. The $30,000 grant will make the eight-week program free for up to 10 participants, covering specialist facilitators, a boxing coach, psychological support and materials.

Ballarat Hospice Care is putting death on the table over tea and coffee, with a free Death Café on Thursday 27 August. It’s an informal group conversation about death, dying and end-of-life wishes, rather than counselling or grief support. It runs from 2 pm to 3.30 pm in Alfredton, with bookings closing Monday 24 August.

A Month of Sundays returns to Ballarat for a second season, starting with the Flinders Quartet on Sunday 23 August at the Old Law Courts. The series runs across five Sunday afternoons through to November, with chamber music, blues, soprano performances and cross-cultural music all getting a turn in the historic Camp Street building.

The long-term blueprint for Ballarat West has received final approval from the Planning Minister, covering around 15,000 homes and a future population of roughly 40,000. The 1,290-hectare growth area stretches west of Alfredton, Delacombe and Sebastopol, with the updated plan guiding where future roads, schools, parks and other infrastructure will go.

Ten years after opening, Woowookarung Regional Park may finally be getting the amenity walkers have been missing: toilets. Parks Victoria is seeking feedback on a proposed $500,000 central visitor site with toilets, barbecues, picnic areas, seating and better visitor information, linking the 10,000 Steps Loop and Sensory Trail. Feedback closes Thursday 3 September.

And while we’re talking number ones and twos, Victoria Park’s public toilets are now closed until late November for a $520,000 overhaul. The old gendered blocks are being replaced with 13 individual cubicles, including two accessible toilets, all entered directly from outside.

Ballarat’s newest café comes with a few million extra building blocks. The Brick Studio has opened at 524 Doveton Street North, combining coffee with LEGO build sessions, after-school clubs and birthday parties for all ages. It’s open Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 5.30 pm, and weekends from 9 am to 4 pm.

3🛏️ 2🛁 1🚗 | House | 252m²

The white picket fence says early 1900s, but almost everything behind it is 2026. This cottage has been restored from the stumps up, with a new kitchen, ensuite, updated finishes and even an EV charger. Heritage Ballarat on the outside, very little old-house maintenance waiting for you inside.

What do you reckon it’s asking?

Want to feature your listing in House Hunch? Respond to this email for info!

Discover all 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!

P.S. Want to get your business in front of thousands of Ballarat locals? We can help.