We are located in the historic 'Soldiers Hill' precinct of inner Ballarat - the key centre of the Victorian gold rush of the late 1800s. Ours is a quiet, tree-lined street within easy - 6 to 8 minutes - walking distance of the Ballarat train station, where the express service gets you to central Melbourne in an hour and a few minutes, every hour. The Ballarat CBD with galleries, shops, restaurants, cinemas and live theatres is just past the station. Key local attractions include the world-famous Sovereign Hill goldfields theme park; the mineral springs and spas of the Daylesford Region just 30 minutes away; vineyards and wineries; the surf coast is just an hour away to the South - and much, much more!

Mary and Ian both grew up and were educated in the United Kingdom, where Ian studied agriculture and Mary trained as a teacher. We are frequent travellers to the North Wales and Chester area, where we both lived before emigrating to Australia. We have also just 'discovered' New Zealand and look forward to more visits in coming years. We have three adult children, themselves with growing families. We are beginners to the home exchange program and seek exchanges with others who are enjoying the transitional years from full time work to whatever lies ahead! We are fit and active so our home reflects this, with bicycles in the shed and available for your enjoyment around Ballarat's leafy tracks and trails, parks and gardens.