Two Goldfields Towns

This is a compare and contrast between a five-horse town and a one-horse town.

The five-horse town is Ballarat, which owes its size to this:

Well, not literally to that building, but to the gold which was found there. It’s a handsome place, with wide streets and sturdy, monumental public buildings.

Including this one, the very fine Fine Art Gallery.

In this gallery I took the opportunity to add to the occasional series Eithne Takes Photos of Herself in Mirrors:

But for all Ballarat's grandeur, I preferred the charms of Daylesford, half an hour’s drive away.

I’ve called it a one-horse town, but though small, Daylesford is really and truly perfectly formed. It has one long main street, lined with cafes (I had a delicious pot pie in one), several very appealing shops, including the previously mentioned secondhand bookshop. It’s called Paradise Books and when you walk in there’s a sign saying ‘relax – you’re in Paradise’.

Definitely my kind of place.