I have been going to this Juice Bar for a while now. The young guy who works there is always friendly, no matter what time of day and the smoothies are awesome. I love the Go Get 'Em smoothie (banana, museli, honey, yogurt) but there is heaps of others to choose from. They also now do soup and focaccias if you want a snack too. They have the customer reward cards which is good.

Approximate cost: $5.00

My husband and I are painting our house. We are less than experts in this field and needed a lot of paint. These guys were great, particularly Graeme Thacker who helped us choose the type of paints we needed for different surfaces. He was patient with our questions and provided a lot of useful information. We have only been working on the back third of our house and will definately going back here for the next stages.

Approximate cost: $400.00

A great variety of Indian, Thai and Italian food. Good if you are going with a group as it caters for all tastes. The staff are lovely, as are the surrounds. You can get take away too which is good. I have never been disappointed.

Approximate cost: $18.00

The crumbed calamari with noodles is awesome. I don't even really look at the menu to pass it, although the herb pizza with sweet chilli sauce is hard to go past. Have had some other meals there which have all been quite nice. It's cozy, although sometimes crowded. I like the couches at the back and the open fire.

Approximate cost: $18.00

Marty's does beautfiul crisp batter, great pumpkin cakes and the service is always friendly. Gluten free is really good and gives the regular batter a run for its money.

I phone ordered for a chicken kebab. This place is take away and dine in, although it wouldn't be an ideal place to take someone for a night out and I think is best suited as a take away place. The kebab was tasty and huge, I couldn't eat it all. You can also buy fresh turkish bread there, a rarity in Ballarat.

Approximate cost: $7.50

I'm someone who is pretty conservative with my hair and always anxious that I get a good cut. I go to Beck at Hair News and she is brilliant. She does exactly what I ask for and I have rarely been disappointed. She even pushes me a little to go out of my comfort zone but not too far. She does a cut that grows out really well (i have relatively short hair) and foils where the regrowth is barely noticeable. The cost is reasonable and the service is great. The staff are all friendly, you get a coffee (or sometimes champagne) on arrival and really feel pampered.

I have been going to Belinda at Absolue Indulgence for some time now. She is great; makes you feel comfortable and does a great wax job. When she isn't available, the other girls have all been pretty good too. You rarely have to wait, its quick and as pain free as waxing can possibly be.

I have been to The Curry House for both take away and to eat in. The food is lovely and great value. Sometimes when I have eaten in, the waitresses have mixed up the orders or been hard to gain their attention but the food is still worth it. Great prices.

Approximate cost: $17.00

I recently had a knee operation done by Paul. The pre-operation service was excellent. He really explained what was going to happen and how that would help me. He was lovely on the day of the operation too. The post-op care has been of a really high standard too with appropriate referrals to physio and appointments to check that the knee (and I) are recovering ok.