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5 things to do when moving to Ballarat

Posted on 18 May 2017

Ballarat is the third largest city in Victoria and is only a short one hour drive away from the state capital of Melbourne. What tends to bring new residents to Ballarat is the promise of affordable housing, quality schooling, and excellent health care. In fact, the average house price in Ballarat is $317,250, which is slightly below the Victorian average of $346,000 and is far less than the Melbourne inner city average price of $1.2 million. With more and more people deciding to move to Ballarat, here are five things you should do if moving to Ballarat.



1. Make sure you choose the right neighbourhood

If you’re moving to a new city, one of the major tasks is finding the area in which you want to live. This is dependent on whether or not you have children (finding an area with a good school is a must), or if you need to live close to public transport for work. A way around this would be to contact an estate agent and explain your needs. For instance, if you need to travel to Melbourne by train it would seem that living in Central Ballarat would be the right place for you as it is closest to the train lines. As for the educational aspect, many Victorians have already moved from Melbourne to Ballarat for their children's educational opportunities. Schools such as Ballarat Grammar School also provide year 9 education for $15,000, substantially less than the $27,000 of Melbourne Grammar.

2. Get your new house inspected


While not limited to Ballarat, getting a building inspection is of great importance when moving to a new house. An inspection is necessary to avoid any upsetting surprises when moving into your new home, such as building structure issues or timber pests. These inspections can stack up and become costly, so when moving, you should visit Compare Inspections as this site allows you to compare prices of inspections and avoid any hidden costs. Furthermore, this site also allows you to purchase an existing report (if one has been taken out on your property recently) allowing you to pay a lesser premium. What’s more, after your report has been completed, you can opt to resell your report and earn money back if someone else buys a copy of it.

3. Soak up the culture of the vibrant city

Ballarat is a regional city that has been evolving as a Victorian hub for the past few decades. Federation University took over Ballarat’s old post office and transformed it into a gallery that celebrates the art of students and staff, as well as the emerging artists in the local area. Close to this gallery is the Mechanics’ Institute, which bears a statue of Minerva on its roof, marking itself out as a landmark of the theatre and the arts. Attending these two establishments will help new residents to cement themselves into (and understand) the community.

4. Don’t worry about your commute to Melbourne

If you work in Melbourne, then moving to Ballarat does not mean you will have to give up your job. Ballarat is only one hour and twenty minutes away from Melbourne by car, so the commute is not as taxing as some could potentially believe. Furthermore, Ballarat has a train line that gets you to Melbourne within an hour and twenty minutes as well.

5. Be prepared to explore

Ballarat is a picturesque city that boasts several beautiful and local historic towns that can help you relax and explore in your free time. The Pyrenees is an area of Ballarat that boasts a bountiful wine region and delicious food, while also being home to ironbark forests and flora and fauna reserves, which give you great spots to picnic and hike. There is also Golden Plains which hosts a farmers’ market on the first Saturday of every month and helps pull you into the local culture with tours of the nearby gold mining town of Steiglitz and the historic local cemeteries.

 

By Darel McBride

 

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