Mayor's Message - Friday 23 December

Happy Christmas everyone! What a year it has been as we rediscover our freedom and learn to manage living with COVID.  

Ballarat is a city that has so much to offer. We have a terrific sense of community, we are growing economically, socially, inclusively, and physically and with this we are seeing great opportunity. 

Whilst we would have preferred not to have experienced COVID and the hardships it brought, one thing I believe we can be thankful for, is the sense of community it brought to us, both on a street and neighbourly level and on a city level.  

It’s Christmas, its summer, the lake’s sparkling, our parks and gardens are looking stunning, cafes and restaurants are bustling with life again and it is a time to really enjoy being with family and friends once again.  

Summer Sundays are almost upon us with another huge line-up of live music in the Botanic Gardens throughout January, including a fireworks display on the lake on Sunday 15 January, as well as a host of other activities throughout the city, including cycling’s Federation University Road National Championships from 6-10 January 2023.  

One of the great things about holidays in Ballarat is the amount of ‘free’ recreational opportunities available to help recover from Christmas lunch. From the Yarrowee to Skipton trails for walking or cycling, to Lakes Burrumbeet, Wendouree and Learmonth for kayaking, boating or fishing, to the parks and gardens for picnics, a round of frisbee golf, dog walks or simply finding a shady spot and reading a book – we really do have a lot to offer. I would encourage everyone to get out and about and rediscover or introduce others to our city. 

To the City of Ballarat staff, my fellow Councillors, and the community of Ballarat I wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas.