Even driving around the outskirts of Melbourne takes forever! Left the MotorInn at Dandenong at 9:30 with a quick stop for gas and a car wash (the car had disappeared under a layer of red dust overnight) but we didn't escape the suburbs until 11:30.

Finally arrived in Ballarat around 1pm and went straight to the information centre. Very helpfull and found us a nice motel a bit out of town in Sebastopol, the Begonia. Unpacked then went back up the road to Sovereign Hill, planning to take Tom down a mine and a quick tour before the night show. However, the prices they wanted to charge were exhorbitant...it would've cost us $100 to look around (and only for 3 hours as they close at 5pm) and a further $120 for the show! So we turned around and left and went back to the Eureka Centre (where the info centre is) for a more graphic representation of the Eureka uprising....not too bad and only cost $20!

Then a quick tour around town and to see Lake Wendouree....well what's left of it anyway. When we were last here 10 years ago the water was up to the bank...now, and probably only due to the recent heavy rains, it's just a little puddle.

Back to the motel before a walk across the road to the bowling club for dinner and then an early night.