Visitors to the city for the Ballarat Beer Festival and Australia Day celebrations, including the fireworks, have resulted in accommodation being 95 per cent booked for the last weekend of the school holidays.

BRT director George Sossi said smaller events, like Buninyong blueberry picking, have also added to the city’s busy streak. “We are building patronage over summer. We’re being seen as a good alternative to the beach,” Mr Sossi said. 

“The Tangled Maze has just opened its ice rink, so that is also attracting some attention. 

“Our visitation was up over the Christmas period though.” 

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He said BRT was comfortable with the current marketing of the region. 

“We’ll continue to build strength as we market events. The beer festival couldn’t have been marketed any better.”

A strong focus on the evolving food scene in Ballarat was one of the marketing changes by BRT.

“History and heritage is still at our very core, (but) we are including a bit more food now,” Mr Sossi said.

Sovereign Hill chief executive officer Jeremy Johnson said a long weekend was a great way to finish off the school holiday season. 

“We’ve been very consistent the whole way through,” Mr Johnson said. “We haven’t had the 40-degree days which we had last year, making it a bit easier.” 

Mr Johnson said Sovereign Hill was matching last year’s figures and was up on budget heading into the long weekend. 

“The school holiday program with the puppets was very strong with family markets, especially in Melbourne and interstate.

“We’ve had lots of visitors from New South Wales and Queensland. Both are up on last year. 

“This may be to do with the drop in the Australian dollar – people are tending to holiday here in Australia rather than going overseas.” 

nicole.cairns@fairfaxmedia.com.au