Santa Clause comes early for one lucky person

One lucky person is set to have a Christmas to remember, thanks to the City of Ballarat. 

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson and local artist Liv Lorkin unveiled Alison Tracksdorf as the winner of a $500 Ballarat Hamper on Friday morning, pulling the lucky name out of the barrel. 

The hamper, which was filled with locally produced goods, had been on display in the Visitor Information Centre as part of the Christmas in Ballarat Art Trail. 

The Art Trail was based on the children’s book Christmas in Ballarat, written and illustrated by Liv Lorkin. 

It took participants on a walking tour of the CBD where they could follow the story from the book, enjoy the giant artworks, and answer a question at each location. 

If participants answered all the questions and returned their forms, they could go in the draw to win the hamper. 

As well as providing added Christmas cheer to Ballarat, the trail aimed to increase foot traffic in the CBD and aligned closely with Goal 5 of the Council Plan 2021-2025: A strong and innovative economy and city. 

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the whole month of December had been extremely festive in Ballarat. 

“The feedback I’ve heard from all sorts of people was that our Christmas in Ballarat program was incredible,” Cr Hudson said. 

“The CBD looked amazing, there was so much to do for families and the roving performances made it a terrific place to be. 

“There has been a real buzz in the city for weeks leading up to Christmas.” 

Liv Lorkin, who created the book, said she got a thrill from seeing so many people follow along to her story. 

“I love Christmas as it is, but to be able to contribute to it and see so many people following my story made it even more special,” she said.