A Ballarat woman attacked at Lal Lal State Forest has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal

An Indigenous woman left bloodied and bruised after she was struck while on a run near Ballarat says she’s experiencing her “worst day yet”.

Sissy Austin was attacked while running in a forest near Ballarat.

Police have upped patrols to track down a violent offender who attacked a woman with a homemade weapon while she was running near Ballarat, leaving her bloodied and bruised.

Ballarat woman Sissy Austin, 28, was running along her regular route in Lal Lal State Forest about 4.30pm on Saturday when she was ambushed by an unknown man.

Ms Austin, who was wearing headphones at the time, briefly saw the figure of a “rough looking” male lunge at her before he struck her with a handmade weapon - a rock tied to a stick.

The blow knocked her unconscious and she fell to the ground.

The man had fled by the time she regained consciousness.

Ms Austin struggled the 4km back through the remote and challenging terrain to where she had parked her car at the Lal Lal Falls carpark - a very popular tourist destination.

She called Triple-0 and was taken by ambulance to Ballarat Base Hospital to be treated for her injuries.

Sissy Austin before she was attacked.

She was left with facial injuries.

Ms Austin posted confronting images online after the assault, capturing her bloody face, bruised eye and swollen lips.

Ms Austin told the Herald Sun on Tuesday she was experiencing her “worst day yet” as she comes to terms with what happened to her and continues recovering from a concussion.

“First Nations women should be safe to run on country,” an emotional Ms Austin said.

“Connecting to country is how we heal and grow. I should be able to do that safely.”

She said she would “get through” the ordeal with support from her community and vowed to return to running once she recovered.

Police have been combing the Blast Furnace Picnic Area where the attack took place on Tuesday in efforts to find the weapon and track down the offender.

He is described as caucasian and was wearing black jeans and a cap at the time of the attack. He was not wearing a shirt or shoes.

Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit’s detective senior sergeant Tony Coxall said it was a “very serious assault” and appeared to be random.

“She has been very strong to get herself back [to her car] with serious injuries. She still has concussion symptoms,” he added.

He assured the community that extra police patrols had been tasked to the area to reassure the community in response to what is believed to be an isolated incident.

“It is, at this stage, the only incident that has been reported,” he said.

“We have not had any incidents of a similar nature reported.”

He would not specify exactly what the police investigation involved, but said police would draw on “all options” in the investigation.

Ms Austin recently opened up about her mental health struggles as she calls for truth telling and treaty.

Detective senior sergeant Coxall said police were “not ruling out” whether the man was homeless or camping in the area where the attack took place.

He said the man’s motivation and intentions were unknown at this stage of the investigation.

“Was he lying in wait, did he pre-prepare? Was it just opportunistic? We just don’t know. It’s all speculation until we locate him.”

Detective senior sergeant Coxall said it was “a serious crime” that had resulted in “horrific injuries”.

He implored the community to help to track down the man.

The Lal Lal State Forest near Ballarat.

He asked anyone with information or dash cam footage from Saturday afternoon to send it to Crime Stoppers.

“We really need community support. We need tourists in the area and locals to be our eyes and ears,” he said. “If there is anything untowards or anything they think is a little bit suspicious - let us know.

“The smallest insight could be what we need to identify this male. With the community’s help, we’ll solve this.”

Detective senior sergeant Coxall urged the man to hand himself in.

“We have a team of detectives working on this and it would be in your best interest to come forward and that will be taken into account before we front you before the courts.”

The Djab Wurrung woman was one of the inaugural members for the First People’s Assembly in Victoria and a Greens senate hopeful in the 2022 election.

It comes as she opened up in January about her mental breakdown and suicide attempt in the hope of reducing the stigma around it while encouraging others to seek help.

While a proud Indigenous woman, Ms Austin described it as being “empowering but deeply challenging”.

“Most of us carry the weight of the world on our shoulders,” she said.

“I felt absolutely exhausted, I felt like I had nothing left to give, I felt like the only place I would find rest was in heaven – that was my mindset the day that I tried to take my own life.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.