Even on a Public Holiday, New Year, when staff would rather be at home with family and/or friends,…read morethey were are super friendly. They made us feel like we were the most important people in the world. Our 'Superior Room' seemed to have been recently updated. It was simply decorated, with everything we needed. It had a King Bed; Split System; Clean Linen; LED Tv; loads of bright lights & dim lights; and a huge bathroom with a huge shower. I was somewhat dubious when I walked into the corridor leading to our bedroom, as it smelt like there was some kind of a leaking water issue. This wasn't a problem inside the Superior Room though. As soon as we walked into the Superior Room, we forgot all about the smell. We therefore didn't worry about the smell, assuming it wasn't an issue once inside.

I took the two hour 11am history tour and it was really good. I've never been to this place before,…read morein fact is my first time in Ararat and doing this tour gave me a good solid understanding of what the conditions and the personalities of what these inmates had to live through. We also covered pretty much the whole grounds of the gaol, above ground and under ground, and were given plenty of stories and shown heaps of sentimental artefacts. The tour guide was really really good. He was an older chap I should say. He has a great sense of humour and asked the attendees if they knew reasons or answers for any of the facts before he gave us the spill, which I thoroughly enjoyed as I tend to be a bit of a historian myself. Speaking of history, the tour guide is practically a walking history book for the J Ward as he did give heaps and heaps of stories and knew facts about practically everything. We spent a decent amount of time at each spot and he was very well informative with the attendees. I had a great time on this tour and would definitely be interested in coming back to J Ward for the overnight ghost tour and investigation, but will have to wait for another occasion.

So much fun seeing all the different animals and interacting directly with kangaroos and koalas!…read moreBucket list check check check! I came here while on my trip to Australia! While there was many different animals here I mainly came for the koalas and kangaroos. You can walk up to all the kangaroos directly and feed them. Food cost $4 AUD. You get a good amount of food as you are really only giving them a little bit in your palm. The koala experience is $50 AUD for a group up to 4. You get to spend time with the koalas in the koala area. So much fun! Definitely a bucket list item to cross off! I highly recommend coming here.

Definitely not worth driving all the way up to this "wildlife" park from Melbourn. Kangaroos and…read moreemus are loose walking around - mostly sleeping on ground. All other animals, reptiles and birds in relatively small cages. There was a baby kangaroo walking about with its mother and it couldn't reach the water in the troff. Overall just kind of sad for the animals liv

Simple room, and nicely updated room! We had all that was…read moreneeded! The king-size bed was comfy as! Set in beautiful surrounds! The only downside was that the hallways to the rooms smelt damp. Also, we decided to eat elsewhere for dinner & breakfast as the food prices were steep!

Fantastic conference venue…read more I visited for event only and did not use accommodation so this review is for facility only . I was surprised to see how big this Mercure is. There's a big carpark on site, a small lake, 2 conference facilities separate to the main building and a few more within the main building. There's also spa house on site. Sitting in the lobby and conference room I was pleased to see how bright and open the facilities are. There's generous Windows and wrap around verandah with seatings to enjoy the outdoor. There's a cafe/ restaurant on site too called Billy's. I thought the place had a 'mini resort' vibe going for it. Although can't comment on the accommodation. The furnishing was old school grand, but clean and dos not feel outdated. Definitely looks better than the pictures. I would suggest this venue to be considered if you are looking for a conference venue in the area. Even accomodation although you might need to find out a bit more about that part.

Have you seen the show? I sure used to. With Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush, boy they were…read morejust starting out with their careers long ago on that beloved TV series. Anyways, this One Tree Hill is in Ararat. There isn't a ton to do while here, but you might as well drive up to this lookout and treat yourself to 360 degree views of the surrounding area. To the west is the Grampians National Park, while Mount Langi Ghiran dominates the eastern skyline. The northern aspect features the Black Range. The view southwards takes in the expansive plains of the Western District. There is a picnic shelter, but it can be pretty quiet up here, I'd stick to picnics in the Grampians itself.