We were met informally by the Mayor of Ballarat, Councillor David Vendy, - a good friend of Charles Gorman. He gave us each a Eureka Flag stick pin and told us what of interest is currently happening around the Ballarat region. We then had time to walk through the Botanic Gardens, but being winter, the only flowers in bloom were in the conservatory - still beautiful.
Then on to Lambton Arms Hotel in Burrumbeet, which is 20 minutes west of Ballarat, for a home cooked style 3 course Christmas lunch comprising - soup, turkey or pork roast and plum pudding or bread and butter pudding sweets with coffee - yum!
The hotel's resident entertainer, Gayle Hart, soon had us all singing along with some of the old favourites and finishing off with some modified Australian Christmas carols.
All in all we had a really fun day.