On December 15 last year the 31-year-old was walking home from a friend's house in Bakery Hill about 1.30am when he was approached by two strangers.

After Mr Lock was unable to provide a cigarette to one of the two men that approached him, he was punched from behind. 

"The next thing I knew I was on the ground. I couldn't remember anything," Mr Lock said.

"My head was sore and I could feel the blood gushing."

The incident occurred metres from Mr Lock's Humffray Street home. 

Mr Lock said he was king-hit with a bottle and sustained a half-inch gash to the back of his head.

Mr Lock is a victim of the random street violence that has gripped Australian cities.

In January, Sydney teenager Daniel Christie became Australia's 15th fatality from a king-hit punch in six years. 

It follows the death of Thomas Kelly, 18, who was punched to the ground in Kings Cross Sydney in July 2012. 

And this week, a Victorian coroner issued another plea for those responsible for the king hit death of Shannon McCormack outside a Melbourne nightclub in 2007 to come forward. 

But Mr Lock said alcohol alone did not compel people to commit random acts of violence. 

"I don't think alcohol is a big factor, everyone has seen a drunk punch-on... they are dirty and unplanned," he said. 

Mr Lock said drugs and male aggression were factors in random acts of violence in Ballarat. 

"I think Ballarat is a dangerous town, you (do not) feel safe walking up Sturt Street," he said

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said an investigation into the incident was ongoing and no charges had yet been laid.