Winter Wonderlights!

It came time to pack up and head towards home, however Jet had secretly arranged a little detour for the journey home – we were going to spend a night in Ballarat and visit their Winter Wonderlights and Blood on the Southern Cross – something we’d never done before. We have visited Sovereign Hill a number of times, but never in the middle of winter for the Wonderlights and never for the night show. The purpose of this surprise was a celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary which was just a couple of weeks ago.

We stopped near Ararat for a morning cuppa by the roadside and then found ourselves in Ballarat, all set up at Eureka Stockade Caravan Park – where kids stay free in winter – in time for lunch. Lunch was fish n chips.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the dusty streets of Sovereign Hill along with tens of thousands of others who thought a sunny but cold winter’s day was a good day to be out!

When dusk fell, multiple kilometres of fairy lights came on, trees were illuminating trees, making them various shades of blue, purple and pink.  Old cottages were also festooned with fairy lights, and the odd looking hay and wire reindeer took on a much more attractive sight.

In Main Street, thousands gathered as fake snow fell (it was actually bubbles – so it felt like we were in a car wash or dishwasher!). Colourful lights illuminated the buildings. It was all on a grand scale and followed the story of a mischievous ginger bread man being pursued by red coat soldiers, kind of like Shrek meets the gold rush. The light show was amazing and mesmerising. We wandered up and down and relished in the atmosphere. The chill of the evening just added to the feeling!

We checked ourselves in for ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’. This light and sound show has been running since 1993 and is set to close in a couple of weeks for a major upgrade. Having never been before it was a good opportunity to check it out. No photos were allowed, so there is nothing to show for the experience!

Feeling very cold by the end, we headed back to the caravan and warmed up. It would be a frosty old night, but we stayed warm and snug… tomorrow it’s time to head home, unpack and consider our options for the next trip.