number of fine stone buildings in and around the city, especially in the Lydiard Street area. This precinct contains some of Victoria's finest examples of Victorian era buildings, many of which are on the Victorian Heritage Register or classified by the National Trust of Australia.
Notable civic buildings include the Town Hall (1870�72), the former Post Office (1864), the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery (1887), the Mechanics' Institute (1860, 1869), the Queen Victoria Wards of the Ballarat Base Hospital (1890s) and the Ballarat railway station (1862, 1877, 1888).
Other historic buildings include the Provincial Hotel (1909), Reid's Coffee Palace (1886), Craig's Royal Hotel (1862�1890) and Her Majesty's Theatre (1875), the oldest intact and operating lyric theatre in Australia and Ballarat Fire Station (1864, 1911) one of Victoria's oldest fire fighting structures and the Jewish synagogue (1861) the oldest surviving synagogue on the Australian mainland.
Music and live entertainment
Ballarat has produced many bands and music acts that have gone on to succeed in the Australian music industry. Notable acts include The Mavis's, Epicure and The Dead Salesmen. More recently, former Ballarat High School students Hunting Grounds (formerly known as Howl) won the national Triple J Unearthed competition. Yacht Club DJs, formed in 2008, have been a festival favourite for many years, selling out national tours and releasing two CDs. Another recent success story is Gold Fields, who have enjoyed high rotation on Triple J.
Many of these acts had their first gig at the Bridge Mall Inn.
Events and festivals
Ballarat is home to many annual festivals and events that attract thousands of visitors. The oldest large annual event is the Ballarat Agricultural Show (since 1859), currently held at the Ballarat Showgrounds and has attracted attendances of up to 30,000 and is an official public holiday for residents of the city
