OH! Magazine - Australian Version September 2015 | Page 31

ANALEE
MATTHEWS

3. Crunch, that five metre crocodile we
mentioned earlier. A must-see, this
big fella is right out of prehistoric
times and makes crowds ‘ooh’ and
‘aah’ in unison as he snatches a
chook from a very brave Stuart.
Having worked up a hearty appetite after
all that oohing and aahing, we wave
goodbye to the Parkers and set the GPS
for The Forge Pizzeria in Armstrong Street
North, Ballarat (theforgepizzeria.com.au).
Now it must be said that we consider
ourselves very extensively researched
pizza connoiseurs, so we entered this
eatery with high expectations. Housed in
an old warehouse in the heart of the CBD
and run by locals who love Ballarat and
pizza. The Forge is a 200-seat restaurant
that promises patrons great fare, good
company and history.
Established in 2010 by brothers Chris
and Tim Matthews, The Forge Pizzeria
creates delicious woodfired pizzas made
with fresh local produce and high quality
deli ingredients. They pride themselves
on pizza perfection, passion and a fun
laid-back atmosphere and they don’t fall
short in their delivery. It’s not surprising
to learn that The Forge Pizzeria has

scooped the prize pool for years, in terms
of dining accolades and awards.
After filling our bellies with more fresh,
healthy and woodfired goodness than we
probably needed, we roll ourselves back
to our luxurious accommodation, cap the
night off with an in-room spa and drift off
into that slumber you only seem to
indulge in when you’re on holidays.
The next morning, we wake to a
sumptuous brekky at the Novotel, before
heading off to experience the iconic
Ballarat landmark that is Sovereign Hill
(sovereignhill.com.au).
Australia’s
foremost outdoor museum, Sovereign Hill
recreates Ballarat’s first ten years after
the discovery of gold in 1851, when
thousands of international adventurers
rushed to the Australian goldfields in
search of fortune. It really is just like
stepping back in time – from the hustle
and bustle of Main Street where costumed
ladies and gents parade their newfound
wealth, to the excitement of the Red Hill
Gully Diggings where we panned for gold
and got to keep what we found. Sovereign
Hill is a must-see for any tourist in
Ballarat and it doesn’t disappoint in its
authenticity and level of interactivity. The

highlight of our visit was the family
portrait, where we were dressed in period
clothing (did velcro really exist back in
the 1850s?) to recreate a traditional
sepia photograph. It was a lot of fun, and
our daughter thought the pantaloons
were absolutely hysterical.
The evening brought with it, our chance
to experience Blood on the Southern
Cross (sovereignhill.com.au), which is an
explosive multi-million dollar sound-andlight show like nothing you’ve ever seen
before! Retelling the story of the Eureka
Rebellion, a dramatic battle between
gold miners and Government forces at
Ballarat on 3 December 1854, the
performance is set under the night skies
at Sovereign Hill. Blood on the Southern
Cross involves no actors – just voices,
dazzling sound-and-light effects and a
stunning open-air set.
After a lovely candlelit meal, we and the
other visitors travelled across the site on
a comfortable transporter to the recreated
Free Trade Hotel on the Eureka Diggings,
where we viewed most of the show. We
watched the miners’ disgust at unfair
gold taxes, witnessed the dramatic
burning of the Eureka Hotel and we heard
Governor Hotham’s reasoning for a dawn

( OH! MAGAZINE ) SEPTEMBER 2015

31