Getting to Ballarat
Located approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes from Melbourne, getting to Ballarat is an easy drive along the Western Freeway. There are two main routes that pass through Ballarat including the Goldfields Touring Route and the Great Southern Touring Route, for those who wish explore more of Victoria on their trip to Ballarat. Destinations further out also enjoy easy access to Ballarat, including Daylesford just 45km away and Geelong 90km away, both via the Midland Highway. Even Adelaide is within a day's drive of Ballarat, just 620km away via the Western Highway.
If you're visiting from even further afield and will be flying into Melbourne there is an airport shuttle bus that operates daily services to Ballarat. Although there is an airport located in Ballarat, it is not serviced by regular commercial flights so Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport is your best bet. There are rental cars available from the airport if you wish to drive rather than catch the shuttle.
If you require public transport to make your way to Ballarat, the V/Line rail service runs daily trains from Melbourne's Southern Cross Station to Ballarat taking approximately one and a half hours. Services operate 12 times daily from Monday to Friday and 4 times daily on the weekend. There are also a number of coach companies that offer transport to Ballarat from Melbourne and a number of other destinations.
Once in Ballarat, getting around is just as easy thanks to the great range of accommodation, shopping, dining and attractions within walking distance. There is also a visitor shuttle bus that operates from the Ballarat Visitor Information Centre, just a short stroll from the train station. The friendly shuttle operates to a number of the main tourist attractions in Ballarat as well as the nearby township of Buninyong. Alternatively, Ballarat is a pleasant town to cycle around and this is made even easier by a range of affordable local bike hire.