Where the Australian Spirit comes alive - BALLART, AUSTRALIA

BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA - as some has described it as the birthplace of the Australian spirit. The Word Ballarat came from two aboriginal words "Balla" meaning elbow and "Arat" a place. Which means a resting place, or resting on one's elbow. Spend some time in and around Ballarat and you will feel part of this unique and historical town. But history is just the beginning. There is a whole range of interesting attractions and activities, particularly for families, to enjoy.

Among its many famous sights, i will recommend the Gold Museum coz i personally love Gold. Gold was first discovered in Ballarat in 1851, with the second largest gold nugget, discovered in 1858. Within a year, 20,000 miners had arrived from all over the world. I even took some photographs of a huge Gold Chain which was on display in the Museum.

Next, my favourite among all the sights has to be Sovereign Hill Ballarat. In this theme park, you can see the characters of the olden days of Australia dressed in cowboys costume. Real horse carriages can be seen, i even got a poise beside the carriages as well. As Gold was first discovered in Ballarat, there is a stream where you'll see in old cowboy movies where you can dig in your plate and dish out Gold nuggets dust from the stream. But i got no luck in doing that. During the day, the characters will enact the history of Sovereign Hill.

Once night falls, we adjourned to Sovereign Hill's nightly sound-and-light spectacular (Blood on the Southern Cross) which recreates the Eureka Rebellion of 1854. As ive mentioned earlier, our YHA Hostel was also part of the props used during this show. I enjoyed the action packed performances which surrounds and involves the audiences in the whole historical chapter. Its clever use of fantastic sound and lighting effects stirs the imagination. The thunder of galloping horses on a licence hunt, the roar of fire as the Eureka Hotel blazes, the murmur of 500 diggers as they swear allegiance to their flag, the fearful clamour of that fateful battle at the stockade will hold you spellbound.

At the end of the night, i could still feel the action coursing thru' my veins till i fall asleep.

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