The Turret's Belinda Pilcher on why she calls Ballarat home

"I feel like we are heading in the right direction, if Ballarat can get even bigger and better in everything we are doing," she said.

"We have a lot of great events and weekends, like the Begonia Festival."

Ms Pilcher might be a familiar face, working with businesses in the city as part of their marketing or from her own social media presence.

She said the social media side of her life started as a way to share her pregnancy journey with her family.

"We had family in Europe, Sydney and up north in Queensland and it was a way for me to document and for them to see my pregnancy and [Lenny] growing up," she said.

"Then that grew from a hobby into a small business."

Ms Pilcher said she has really enjoyed the creative side of her brand.

"I get to work with some amazing brands and I enjoy creating beautiful content for these companies."

Ms Pilcher was born in Ballarat and has spent most of her life here, apart from a three year stint living in Torquay.

She moved back to the city when she was pregnant with her son Lenny to be closer to family and support networks.

"I was going through a lot of trauma," she said.

"I didn't have any plans, I just wanted to survive everyday at that point."

While she has known her now-partner LeRoy Hand from before she moved to Torquay, they reconnected a year after she had come back to Ballarat.

Ms Pilcher said a combination of having Lenny, being close to her parents and meeting LeRoy cemented the idea she would call Ballarat home.

For two decades Ms Pilcher had worked as a dental nurse, and it was Mr Hand who introduced her to the hospitality world.

Nursing built her foundation of being organised, thinking ahead and the importance of being aware of your surroundings.

"With how things progressed during COVID-19 lockdowns we fell into starting a cafe," she said.

"I took a step back from dental to help run the cafe with LeRoy."

The Orchard Cafe in Lucas opened in November 2020 and in February 2021 went through its first lockdown.

Ms Pilcher said there are some similarities between her two careers.

"I am still dealing with people everyday," she said.

Since The Orchard the pair have taken over The Turret on Sturt Street after long time business owners Carmel and Tony West retired.

At the start of this year they launched a bakery operation in their new venue.

Ms Pilcher said she was surprised about how much the Lucas community has surrounded and supported the cafe.

"We worked hard to get to where it is today but we didn't know it would get as big as it is," she said.

"I love that it's a little community hub ... we have made some great friends through people walking in the doors."