Ballarat murder mystery. Solve a case on your own streets

Yes. The case unlocks the second you pay and there is no time slot to reserve. Buy at 7pm, walk to the starting point, and you'll be working the first clue within the half hour. If tonight falls through, it stays in your account.

Yes, the free Questo app on iOS or Android, about a 2-minute download. Buy on this page, open the app, and the case is waiting in your account. Grab it at home on Wi-Fi; the route itself runs fine on normal mobile data.

No. There's no guide, no group and no set time. It's a self-guided game: you unlock the case, walk the 1.9 km route on your own schedule, and everyone in your party gets clues on their own phone. Closer to an escape room than to a walking tour of Ballarat.

Nothing is booked, so you simply play another evening. The case does not expire. If weather turns mid-game, pause it, get inside, and resume from the same point later. If you haven't started yet, take a full refund instead.

The Fellowship covers up to 5 phones for $42.99 ($8.60 each). Bigger groups usually share a phone between two, or add a second pass and run two teams on the same case. That's the better version, and the Ballarat leaderboard settles it.

Point 1 is at 1. Queen Victoria Memorial - Starting Point · Town Hall, 225 Sturt St, Ballarat Central VIC 3350, Australia, and the route finishes at 12. Queen Victoria Memorial - Finish Point · Town Hall, 225 Sturt St, Ballarat Central VIC 3350, Australia, a 1.9 km route with 12 challenge locations. The exact spot, with a photo, appears in the app the moment you unlock.

It's a whodunit, not a horror game: no jump scares, no gore, nothing chasing you. Kids usually spot the clues faster than the adults. Younger children can walk along, though the deduction will be over their heads.

Yes, and the case plays best after dark. Bring a charged phone; the route stays on public streets and squares, and it's roughly 2470 steps in total.

Yes, gift the case and the person you send it to picks their own evening, in Ballarat or in any of the other cities it runs in. It doesn't expire, so it works for a birthday, a hen do, an anniversary or a team night out. They'll need the free Questo app to play.