What do folks think of Ballarat? Is it worth heading out from Melbourne to see the place?

A very interesting place...generated a lot of the wealth that made Melbourne a grand victorian city.Cold/bleak in winter.

Combine it with the GOR and possibly the Grampians.Distances are short in vic.

Yes it is well worth a visit.
Explore the beautiful Botanical Gardens and Lake Wendouree
Walk along Lydiard Street, a fine example of a Victorian streetscape
Visit the Mining Exchange, where troopers gathered in 1854 before setting off to quell a revolt by miners
Walk the Eureka Trail, from Camp Street to the Eureka Stockade Centre taking in many Eureka sites along the way
Pan for gold or chat with the storekeepers and miners at Sovereign Hill, where the lives and times of a typical gold mining settlement has been re-created
Relive the "Battle of the Southern Cross" in a sound and light spectacular at Sovereign Hill
Visit the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Australia’s oldest and largest regional gallery, and view the comprehensive collection of Australian art
Taste the region’s award-winning wines at the cellar door or head to the nearby Pyrenees and Grampians wine regions
Visit the award-winning Ballarat Wildlife Park
Visit the picturesque town of Buninyong, scene of one of the region's earliest gold rushes. Lining the streets are many of the town's original buildings still preserved and open for business..
Major events

Ballarat Begonia Festival – March
Royal South Street Competitions August – November
Eureka Week – December

Check this link www.visitballarat.com.au

MissB99 covered it well and I'll second her vote that a visit to Ballarat is definitely worthwhile. We were there for 3 days and loved it!

Agree with the first response. Worth a day, but combine it with the GOR and the Grampians - you can do a great big loop over several days and see a lot of what makes VIC special focusing on history and scenery.

In case the reference to the Eureka Stockade is a bit obscure, it was a goldminer's rebellion put down with some casualties by the troopers. Some people have done their best to inflate it to the status of a mini-War of Independence, but it was a revolt against the payment of government licence fees. Then again, the American War of Independence started over the payment of taxes.

The Gold Museum near Sovereign Hill is worth a visit.
If you are a cricket fan the W G Grace tree at Eastern Oval is good.