Hey rodents!

wanted to ask where the best location to find physical media (dvd/cd's, older videogames)?

anything is appreciated!

Hi everyone,

We’re considering high school options in Ballarat and are currently looking at Ballarat Christian College and Damascus College.

I’d really appreciate hearing from current or past parents/students about their experiences, particularly around:

- Bullying: How well does the school handle bullying and social issues? Is there a noticeable bullying problem?

- Electives and subjects: How good is the range of electives and subject choices, particularly in Years 9–12?

- VCE/VET pathways: How strong are the pathways and subject options for students who have different interests and academic abilities? Are there good options for university, TAFE and vocational pathways?

- Non-Christian families: How welcoming is the school to students from a non-Christian background? How much emphasis is placed on religion/Christian activities in day-to-day school life?

- Admissions: Is it difficult for families from a non-Christian background to get a place? Are there any particular admission requirements or considerations we should be aware of?

- Overall environment: How would you describe the culture, teachers, student behaviour and general atmosphere?

If you have children currently attending either school (or attended previously), I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

PSA: If you or anyone you know uses or may soon use the Western FWY to travel to/ past Ballarat, the freeway both in and out bound is littered with potholes, many which are unavoidable unless swerved at the last second (which is not condoned, but is an instinct many people have).
Please do not overtake cars in this section- and slow down is someone is trying to overtake you. Both lanes are damaged.

A family member popped a tire on her way to Ballarat this week.The RACV worker told them that phone for damaged tires due to potholes along this region has skyrocketed recently.
I saw 4 cars pulled over along the freeway (3 towards CBD, 1 outbound) between the Miners Rest M8 entrance and Gordon exit this afternoon. I assume some, if not all, were due to the Potholes.

There is serious risk to anyone who is driving along this Freeway.

Contact the Department of Transport if it impacts or concerns you.

Things get done when people start raising some noise.

I am going to ask somebody out in the next week, but all of the restaurants in Ballarat that I have been to suffer from dreadful acoustics and horrible ambiance. Making it impossible to talk let alone hear what the other person is saying.

I liked the little booths at Beechworth, but not exactly a night time restaurant.

Realise I'm likely preaching to the choir here. But with all the station upgrades, I'm surprised no attention has been paid to eating facilities at the station.

Theres one cafe, with overpriced shit bain-marie food and shit coffee, is often too busy/slow to get anything if you're even in a slight hurry. Typically I just give up.

Surely we could do better? Ballarat has some great eateries and it kinda leaves a bad impression for visitors.

Was there any scope in the planning to expand this? Even just a couple of food/coffee carts. Theres Salty Sparrow across the way, but when time is a bit tight....

anyone have recommendations for social run clubs in ballarat, pace doesn't worry me too much but looking for a decent crew, ideally with a coffee catch up or something after.

- Value
- Ambiance
- Coffee

Just wanted to know where local go for a good cuppa. don't like cafe who are narcissistic 🙏🏼

Probably an unpopular question, any NRL fans in Ballarat?

Watching Jai Arrow’s 100th game for the Bunnies made me realise how much I love the NRL and that I miss sharing that with other people rather than always watching at home by myself.

With the finals coming up, are there any NRL fans or existing groups in Ballarat who get together to watch the games?

I’m primarily a Panthers supporter, but I also follow the Bunnies & Warriors and enjoy watching all games.

I was thinking the Sporting Globe might be the obvious place, but I’m open to anywhere that shows the games and has a good atmosphere. Does anyone already have a group, or would anyone be interested in meeting up for a finals game?

Just finished reading an article on the next stage of the delemcobe town center being set to open soon which is great.....but the list of confirmed retailers moving into the newest stage kinda falls flat most of the retailers that were mentioned are either duplicate business of the ones already presented or tenants relocating..... either way the shopping center still fails in terms of having different clothing outlets unless you are looking at kmart or work wear you still have to go to stocklands......

We have a few upcoming events at the Ballarat Hackerspace this month all welcome, but you'll need to register to get a ticket ($20 non-members, $10 any concession holder, free for members).

Wed 9 Sep: BRAIN: AI Applications & Tooling Meetup

This month Rob (not me) runs a hands-on session on voice AI, using voice mode in ChatGPT and Claude, then building a voice agent in ElevenLabs and connecting it to Twilio so it can answer and make real phone calls hooked into your calendar and tools. https://thq.fyi/se/s-_h184

Wed 16 Sep: Introduction to Laser Cutting for Makers/Artists

A hands-on intro to using the laser cutter for your own projects. Absolutely no experience necessary, volunteer members of the Hackerspace will be on hand to show you through the process. https://thq.fyi/se/LW4Nw2w

Wed 23 Sep: IndieWeb Meetup

We’re creating a relaxed monthly space for sharing projects, learning from one another, and tinkering with the smaller, stranger and more independent side of the web: a place where you own your identity, publish your own content and have a site to call your own. Come along and meet local people who understand how the pieces fit together, from choosing a domain and setting up DNS to finding hosting and publishing your first page. Whether you’re starting from scratch or have been building websites for decades, there will be people willing to share what they know. https://thq.fyi/se/SMmQ6xo

Thu 24 Sep: Ballarat AI Exchange

A beginner-friendly, open Q&A about AI. Bring your questions about LLMs, business uses, tools, or anything you've been trying to figure out. Rob (yes me) from BRAIN and Adrian from Plainlight will be there to answer any questions. https://thq.fyi/se/fZNit6s

Looking ahead to October (mostly because I posted this too late for the September one):

Wed 7 Oct: Introduction to 3D Printing for Makers/Artists

A hands-on intro to designing and printing your own things. Same as the Laser Cutting workshop, but in 3D. https://thq.fyi/se/lWdi7x4

All events are at the Ballarat Hackerspace, 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Hey everyone. I see a lot of people asking for recommendations their children, but none about which are good to work for from an educator perspective. Does a page like this exist??

Hi lovely people. I am looking to buy my first home at the moment and as we all know, it’s very hard to afford anything, especially buying solo.

There’s a property I’m interested in, it’s on a very nice closed street with nice people (I knocked on some doors), it’s on a hill, with a lovely view but only a few streets away from government housing (two or three streets back from Ellsworth -which a colleague said was a bad idea).

It’s an interesting area because there’s many nice homes in the area with people you can see really taking care of them but down some streets you can tell it’s government housing and then there’s new stuff happening down the opposite end. Sometimes people can be snobs but sometimes there’s real risks too. I don’t want to be unsafe but I also don’t want to settle buying for a unit because I can’t afford any houses in the fancy suburbs.

I grew up in a poor area in North Queensland and I never felt unsafe. Sometimes places get a bad wrap and are actually okay.

The other thing is it backs on to the flockhart street reserve, which is lovely, but I didn’t know if that came with risks too.

I also understand people have asked this question before but it’s been a few years. Would love an update and your thoughts! Thank you so much for reading and your help

​

Ballarat Child Care Co-operative - is the only I've looked into. I put in an application mid 2025 and were told we wouldn't get a look in until 2027.

Good people of Reddit, what are your recommendations (or condemnations) on childcare centres in Ballarat? I'd assume similar wait times. Any location in Ballarat will be fine.

Hello,

I am relocating to Ballarat end of the year and have been approved for a property that I thought was within the Ballarat High zone. I’ve previously been told this was a decent school hence I applied in this area. Real Estate mentioned it was within Ballarat High zoning, but Find My School indicates it’s actually zoned for Woodmans Hill (which is a bummer because the house is literally two houses into the zone)

What is Woodmans Hill like? Not looking for overly academic but more a good culture and wellbeing support etc? Should I cut my loses and look elsewhere or is it a decent secondary?

Hey does anyone know what’s been going on at the old Royal highlander pub/Mister lalors? Looks like a bit of movement going on inside.

I’m going to a rental inspection today but just wondering what it’s like in the area? The area is the other side of town to where I currently am in Mount Pleasant so I’ve never really ventured out there at all. Looking on the map it’s very close to Lucas Rise Park if that helps!

So, who do folks source their firewood from these day? Looking for someone legit.

Anyone know what the woohoing sound is? I hear it often but not sure what it is and where it’s coming from. Just curious what it is!

literally any restaurants that serve vegan food that isn’t chips or avocado toast lol

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some casual Magic: The Gathering players around Ballarat who might be interested in meeting up for some Commander games.
I’m still fairly new, so I’m mainly looking for relaxed, friendly games rather than anything highly competitive. I currently have a few Commander decks and would be happy to meet at somewhere like Guf or Good Games.
If you’re interested—or already have a casual group with room for another player—leave a comment or send me a message!

Is there anywhere in Ballarat that fry up donuts on the spot for you?

I am aware that there are the vans etc that open every so often randomly that do it, but wanted if there were any solid permanent options I can go to at any time when I'm craving them.

Cheers!

Thank you all for the suggestions! I habe a few weeks of diabeetus awaiting me :)

I survived': victim speaks after laughing Ballarat rapist attempts appeal
Bryan Hoadley
Journalist. Published 28 August 2026, 08:00 am
A Ballarat man who raped his partner while laughing “like it was a game” and later sent her a text saying “I’m a rapist, f— yes” has attempted to appeal his conviction.
Elijah Thomas, 28, was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison with a non-parole period of six years, after a jury found him guilty in 2024 of two charges of rape.
He was also sentenced over 14 assault and family violence-related charges that he pleaded guilty to in June 2023.

Elijah Thomas, 28, attempted to appeal his rape conviction in the Supreme Court of Victoria. File picture
At a hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria in November 2025, Thomas sought leave to appeal his rape conviction, with his legal team arguing there were three grounds for appeal.

These were that a “substantial miscarriage of justice” had occurred during cross-examination and in the prosecution’s closing address, and that the jury had reached an “unreasonable and unsupported” verdict based on the evidence heard at trial.
Previously, the County Court of Victoria heard that during a three-year relationship, Thomas subjected the victim to a variety of physical assaults including strangling her until she passed out, biting her so hard she bruised, and kicking her while she lay on the ground.
He also subjected her to a variety of other manipulative, controlling and abusive behaviours, such as death threats, posting naked pictures of her online, and threatening suicide.
After years of abuse, the victim ceased all contact with Thomas in 2019, but in March of that year, he went to her house and asked her to have sex with him.
Despite being repeatedly told no, Thomas put his hand over the victim’s mouth and raped her while laughing “like it was a game”.
After the rape, Thomas acted as if everything was normal and spent time scrolling on his phone before leaving the house.

WATCH: How does Australia’s court system work?
The next day, the victim sent Thomas a series of messages accusing him of rape.
Thomas then replied to the victim, messaging “I’m a rapist, f— yes”.
In a judgement dated August 20, 2026, Supreme Court Justices Lesley Taylor, Rowena Orr and Peter Kidd rejected the application to appeal on all three grounds.
In their reasons, they said a substantial miscarriage of justice had not occurred during cross-examination or in the prosecution’s closing address and that such arguments were without substance.
The justices also said it was “well open” to the jury to accept the victim as a credible witness, to reject Thomas’ denials and to find the charges proven beyond reasonable doubt.
“It must be assumed that the jury, having seen and heard the complainant give evidence, assessed that evidence to be credible and reliable,” the justices said.
“Examining the whole of the evidence for ourselves – and taking into account in particular the various criticisms made of the complainant’s evidence – we are not persuaded that the jury, acting rationally, was compelled to harbour a reasonable doubt as to the applicant’s guilt on the charges.”
‘The appeal is over. My life continues. I survived’

In a statement to The Courier, the victim, Amelia Martin-Block, said she was grateful Thomas’ sentence was upheld on appeal and that the court had recognised the seriousness of his conduct.
“It took two trials and five years for him to be sentenced,” she said.
“I was cross-examined four times, repeatedly forced to relive some of the most traumatic experiences of my life while waiting for justice.
“For Elijah (Thomas), the appeal was an opportunity to challenge the consequences of his actions. For me, there is no appeal from those consequences. I continue to live with the trauma, fear and loss of safety.”
When highlighting the effects her abuser’s nightmarish conduct had on her, Ms Martin-Block said her experience was not unique among women.
Indeed, she pointed to the fact that one in four Australian women has experienced intimate partner violence and that, according to Australian Femicide Watch, 47 women have been violently killed so far in 2026.
“These are not just statistics. They are women who should still be alive,” Ms Martin-Block said.
“We cannot keep asking women what they could have done differently to prevent violence. The responsibility belongs to the men who choose to perpetrate it.
“We need to stop asking why women stayed, why they did not leave sooner or why they did not report, and start asking why men choose to control, intimidate, sexually assault, threaten and hurt women.
“The appeal is over. My life continues. I survived, I rebuilt and I found my voice. I will use it because women should have to survive violence before we decide it matters.”
Affected by this story? There is help available.
You can phone the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, in Sebastopol, on 5320 3933, or free-call the crisis care line 24 hours on 1800 806 292.
Or phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380, or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.
Bryan Hoadley
Journalist. Published 28 August 2026, 08:00 am

Can anyone recommend a fencer they have used that does quality work at a fair price to build a front fence? Specifically a picket front fence for a heritage home.