PEOPLE are risking fines in the hunt for elusive and nocturnal Pokémon in Ballarat Botanical Gardens after dark.
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The Courier understands the hot spot for a new augmented reality game is still a busy spot after the gardens close at night, where budding trainers armed with smart phones continue to hunt.
Pokémon GO allows players to combine their virtual world with the real world by hunting, capturing and battling the anime creatures near landmarks across the world – including Ballarat.
In terms of the game, Ballarat Botanical Gardens is popular in Pokémon GO because it boasts lots of virtual PokéStops, for supplies, and gyms to battle and train. Stops and gyms are attached to places of interest, like statues in the gardens.
And the botanical gardens is near Lake Wendouree, where people can find water-based Pokémon.
But the gardens close at 6pm and the City of Ballarat cautions people can be prosecuted if found in the gardens after hours.
City of Ballarat parks and nursery curator Peter Marquand said it was great to see so many people enjoying the gardens during opening hours, in all sorts of winter weather.
“It’s terrific to see people finding new ways to discover and explore our beautiful Ballarat Botanical Gardens,” Mr Marquand said.
“Quite a few people have visited the gardens as they play the Pokémon game and they’ve been respectful and not caused any damage.”
The game has already netted $10 billion to the developer's parent company Nintendo in two days.
Pokémon GO players can advance through the game for free but can pay extra money from their real world to help advance through the game quicker and lure more elusive characters.
The game’s creators have even infiltrated Sovereign Hill with Pokémon embedded about the outdoor museum since the app launched late last week. Sovereign Hill chief executive officer Jeremy Johnson said it was all a bit of extra fun for visitors.
"We've had a lot of visitors playing Pokémon at Sovereign Hill, with some rare Pokémon such as Dratini being spotted throughout the outdoor museum,” Mr Johnson said.
“It shows just one of the ways that Sovereign Hill, while depicting an 1850s gold mining town, still engages with innovation and technology for today's tech-savvy visitor. There's even a ‘gym’ at the Soho foundry that visitors have been battling at and taking over."