Ballarat, Victoria

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Ballarat, Victoria

Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat") is a city in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

File:Map Victoria Aboriginal tribes .jpgVictoria is a States and territories of Australia located in the southeastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area but the most Population density and urbanised....
, Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, and Victoria's largest inland city. It is well-known for its history and heritage.

It is approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi) north-west of Melbourne, with an urban population of 88,437 people.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Ballarat, Victoria'

Start a new discussion about 'Ballarat, Victoria'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat") is a city in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Australia

Australian Height Datum

The Australian Height Datum is a geodetic datum for altitude measurement in Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, "In 1971 the mean sea level for 1966-1968 was assigned the value of zero on the Australian Height Datum at thirty tide gauges around the coast of the Australian continent....
and consists of an area of approximately 740 square kilometres (286 sq mi

Square mile

The square mile is an Imperial system and US customary system of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared....
), with the city occupying a built up area of approximately 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi).

Gold was discovered near Ballarat in 1851, and the influx of over 10,000 miners in less than a year transformed it from a pastoral town into Victoria's largest settlement. The Victorian gold rush

Victorian gold rush

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria , Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s.During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output....
occurred throughout the 1850s and 1860s whilst gold could be readily extracted from the surface. The city's growth slowed after the 1880s and Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
quickly overshadowed it in importance. However, Ballarat has endured as a major inland regional centre and tourist destination, having retained much of its Victorian era heritage, a unique culture, and is highly regarded for its grand heritage listed public and private buildings, monuments, statues and expansive gardens.

History

The site of the city was originally a stock station established by William Cross Yuille

William Cross Yuille

William Cross Yuille was an Australian who helped establish the horse racing industry in Victoria, Australia. The city of Ballarat, Victoria was founded around his stock station....
and Henry Anderson in 1838 and named Ballarat (originally under the spelling Ballaarat), which is generally believed to be derived from local Aboriginal dialect meaning 'resting place'. The settlement, originally known as Ballarat, flourished in the early 1850s when gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
was discovered, the Post Office opening on November 1, 1851 . The area where gold was found was situated northeast of Ballarat, about away. The total area was about , and an estimated 200,000 ounces of gold are said to have been extracted from the area. This made Ballarat the wealthiest city in the district. Additionally there were several other notable gold fields in the Ballarat area including the Berringa, Clunes, Creswick, Talbot and Enfield Gold Fields.

With a huge influx of population and wealth as a major participant in the Gold Rush

Victorian gold rush

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria , Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s.During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output....
, Ballarat was, for a time, Victoria's largest township.

Ballarat is notable as the site for Australia's only armed civil uprising, colloquially referred to as the Eureka Stockade

Eureka Stockade

The Eureka Stockade was the setting of a gold miners' revolt in 1854 near Ballarat, Victoria, Victoria, Australia, Australia, against the officials supervising the mining of gold in the region....
but more correctly titled the Eureka Rebellion, which took place on 3 December 1854. The event, in which 22 miners died, is considered to be a defining moment in Australian history. The purported site of the rebellion contains an historical park and a memorial to the event. The remains of the original Eureka Flag

Eureka Flag

File:theeurekaflag.jpgThe Eureka Flag was the battle flag used at the Eureka Stockade, a gold miners' revolt in 1854 in Ballarat, Victoria, Victoria, Australia, Australia....
are on public display in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.

During the last 50 years of the 19th century Ballarat prospered on gold mining, being proclaimed a city in 1871. The railway came to the town with the opening of the Geelong-Ballarat line

Geelong-Ballarat railway line, Victoria

The Geelong - Ballarat line is a broad gauge railway in western Victoria , Australia between the cities of Geelong, Victoria and Ballarat, Victoria....
in 1862, with the current direct route to Melbourne completed in December 1889.

The early confidence of the city's early citizens in the enduring future of their city is evident in the sheer scale of many of the early public buildings, generous public recreational spaces, and oppulence of many of its commercial establishments and private housing. The period from the 1880s to the early 20th century witnessed a successful transition of the city from a gold rush town to an industrial age city. Many industries and workshops that had been established as a result of manufacturing and servicing for the deep lead mining industry during the 19th century later made successful transition into engineering and manufacturing businesses throughout the 20th century. Pressure on the state government for decentralisation saw the Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations....
open their Ballarat North Workshops

Ballarat North Workshops

Ballarat North Workshops is a railway workshop located in the provincial city of Ballarat, Victoria, Victoria , Australia. They are located in the suburb of North Ballarat, Victoria on Creswick Road, and occupy 5.5 hectares of land beside the junction of the Mildura railway line, Victoria and Serviceton railway line, Victoria....
in April 1917.

During 1901, the Duke of Cornwall and York

Duke of York

The title Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch....
, later King George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
, opened the first Commonwealth Parliament

Parliament of Australia

The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislature of government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster System, but with some influences from the United States Congress....
in Melbourne. While in Victoria, the Duke and Duchess made several journeys by train, one of which was on 13 May from Melbourne to Ballarat via Geelong

Geelong, Victoria

Geelong is the second largest List of cities in Australia in the States and territories of Australia of Victoria , Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state....
, returning to Melbourne via Bacchus Marsh

Bacchus Marsh, Victoria

Bacchus Marsh is a town in Victoria , Australia. It is in the Local Government Areas of Australia of Shire of Moorabool, and is located approximately 50 km west of Melbourne and 14 km west of Melton, Victoria....
.

In 1930 an aerodrome

Ballarat Airport

Ballarat Airport is located Ballarat, Victoria, Victoria , Australia.The Ballarat Aero Club, Field Air and MAF-Air Services are located here along with the Ballarat Aviation Museum and the Anson Museum....
was established, which was ceded to the Commonwealth in 1940 as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. During WWII the base was a RAAF Wireless Air Gunners' School as well as the base for USAAF Liberator bomber squadrons. During the war the airport was expanded and consisted of three sealed runways of which two were over 2,000 metres (6,550 ft) long and 45 metres (150 ft) wide. The aerodrome remained the RAAF School of Radio until 1961 when it was returned to civil operations. The City of Ballarat is the civil operator of the aerodrome. The site is now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register

Victorian Heritage Register

Housing Commission of Victoria

The Housing Commission of Victoria was a State Government body responsible for public housing in Victoria , Australia. Responsible to the Victorian Minister for Housing, it was established in 1938 and existed until replaced by the Victorian Office of Housing....
estate on the former Ballarat Common (Today known as Wendouree West

Wendouree West, Victoria

Wendouree West is a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, a city in the Australian state of Victoria . The current population is 3000....
). The estate was originally planned to contain over 750 prefabricated houses. Whilst planning for the estate began in 1949, main construction occurred between 1951 to 1962. During the 1970s a further 300 houses were constructed. Private housing in the adjacent suburb of Wendouree

Wendouree, Victoria

Wendouree is a suburb of the City of Ballarat, in Victoria , Australia.Its central feature is Lake Wendouree, which as of late 2006 is empty due to the drought....
closely matched and eventually eclipsed this by the mid 1960s. The suburb of greater Wendouree and Wendouree West had evolved by the 1970s as the suburban middle-class heart of the city.

From the late 1970s and early 1980s urban growth slowed in Wendouree and began expanding to the Southern and Western corridors of the city. In 2008 the City Council released a plan directing that growth of the city over the next 30 years is to be concentrated to the west of the city centre and through the redevelopment of inner city housing blocks, and other under-developed inner city land in the East that is being redeveloped to create a higher density housing structure. Throughout the 20th century Ballarat maintained steady economic and population growth, keeping pace with that of the Australian national average without ever experiencing any significant growth surges. Steady population and economic growth has enabled the city to mature and preserve much of its historical grandeur and beauty whilst accommodating thoughtful and modern development. Ballarat's modern architecture was designed to blend with the old with examples being the City Library, the Law Courts and Justice Centre and the Ballarat Base Hospital.

Transport

Ballarat is linked directly to Melbourne by a combination of state highway and dual carriageway freeway. Regular rail services on the Ballarat Line

Ballarat railway line, Victoria

The Serviceton railway line is a railway serving the west of Victoria , Australia. The line links the state capital Melbourne to the cities of Ballarat, Victoria and Ararat, Victoria, and once extended to the South Australian border as part of the Melbourne-Adelaide railway....
from Ballarat railway station

Ballarat railway station, Victoria

Ballarat railway station is a railway station serving the city of Ballarat, Victoria in Victoria, Australia, Australia. The station is located on Ballarat railway line, Victoria and is the origin and terminus of most V/Line services to and from Melbourne Southern Cross Station, except for some commuter services that originate and terminate at...
run to Melbourne, in addition to the Ararat Line

Ararat railway line, Victoria

The Ararat railway line is a regional passenger Rail transport operated by V/Line in Victoria , Australia, that links the state capital Melbourne to the cities of Ballarat, Victoria and Ararat, Victoria....
that runs in the opposite direction. Ballarat is also served by an extensive public bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
service and taxi

Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride....
system.

The city airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as Fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and Non-rigid airship take off and land. Aircraft may also be stored or maintained at an airport....
, located North-West of the CBD consists of two sealed runways (each approximately 1,400 m/4,600 ft length and 30 m/100 ft wide) as well as extensive sealed aprons, night lighting and NDB Navaid. The Ballarat Aerodrome

Ballarat Airport

Victorian Heritage Register

The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority....
for its social and historical significance. In 2005 the City of Ballarat commissioned a Master Plan 2004-2014, that outlined future development and growth of the Airport. The report made a series of recommendations and forecasts that included eventual lengthening, widening and strengthening of the existing main runway up to 1800 metres (5,900 ft), consideration for expansion of the passenger terminal and recommendations for future use of aprons and development of future structures supporting larger aircraft and increased frequent usage. It is forecast that by 2012-15 regular domestic passenger services using 40-50 seat commuter aircraft may feasibly commence.

The city maintained a horse tram

Tram

A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railroad car, of lighter weight and construction than a train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets....
way system from 1887 until 1909 when they were replaced by electric trams operated by the Electric Supply Company of Victoria. These, in turn, were replaced, in September 1971, when services were replaced by bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
es. A short section of track continues at the western end of Lake Wendouree as a museum line operated by the Ballarat Tramway Museum. In recent times there have been studies conducted to reinstate sections of tram line or light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail transit public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than Passenger_rail_terminology#Heavy_rail and rapid transit systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than street-running tram systems....
to service key tourist routes and high usage bus services between the city and Wendouree

Wendouree, Victoria

Wendouree is a suburb of the City of Ballarat, in Victoria , Australia.Its central feature is Lake Wendouree, which as of late 2006 is empty due to the drought....
.

In late 2006, a second railway station for the city was being established in Wendouree

Wendouree, Victoria

Wendouree is a suburb of the City of Ballarat, in Victoria , Australia.Its central feature is Lake Wendouree, which as of late 2006 is empty due to the drought....
to service direct links to Melbourne and western distributor lines. A naming competition by the Victorian Government saw the new station dubbed Wendouree by the people of Ballarat, because of its geographical significance to the area. The station is expected to be operational in 2010.

Features

Ballarat is renowned for its cultural heritage

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical Cultural artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations....
and decorative arts, especially applied to the built environment, combined with the gold rush, this has created a picturesque urban landscape. In 2003 Ballarat was the first of two Australian cities to be registered as a member of the and in 2006 hosted the 10th World League of Historical Cities Congress.

Many of its features demonstrate the breadth and depth of Ballarat's Heritage, which are celebrated during heritage weekend in May.

Grand avenues and boulevards

Ballarat is notable for its very wide boulevards. The main street is Sturt Street and is considered among one of the finest main avenues in Australia with over 2 kilometres of central gardens known as the Sturt Street Gardens

Sturt Street Gardens

The Sturt Street Gardens are located in Ballarat, Victoria . The gardens area a central median of the main thoroughfare of Ballarat, Sturt Street....
featuring bandstands, fountains, statues, monuments, memorials and lampposts.

Ballarat is home to the largest of a collection of several Avenues of Honour

Avenue of honour

Avenue of Honour is the term given to a memorial avenue of trees, with each tree symbolising a person.The tradition, which originated in the goldfields region of Victoria, Australia is an important part of Australian culture....
in Victoria. The fifteen kilometre (9.3 mi) long Ballarat Avenue of Honour consists of a total of approximately 4,000 trees, mostly deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
which in many parts arch completely over the road. Each tree has a bronze plaque dedicated to a soldier from the Ballarat region who enlisted during World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. The Avenue of Honour and the Arch of Victory are on the Victorian Heritage Register

Victorian Heritage Register

Statues and monuments

The city also has the greatest concentration of public statuary in any Australian city with many parks and streets featuring sculptures and statues dating from the 1860s to the present day.

Some of the other unique memorials located in the Sturt Street Gardens

Sturt Street Gardens

The Sturt Street Gardens are located in Ballarat, Victoria . The gardens area a central median of the main thoroughfare of Ballarat, Sturt Street....
in the middle of Ballarat's main boulevard include a bandstand situated in the heart of the city that was funded and built by the City of Ballarat Band in 1913 as a tribute to the bandsmen of the RMS Titanic

RMS Titanic

The Royal Mail Ship Titanic was an Olympic class ocean liner superliner owned by the White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
, a fountain dedicated to the early explorers Burke and Wills, and those dedicated to Monarchs and those who have played pivotal roles in the development of the city and its rich social fabric. The most recent memorial is dedicated to a war hero Sir Albert Ernest Coates

Albert Coates (surgeon)

Sir Albert Ernest Coates Order of the British Empire, Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons was an Australian surgeon and soldier. He served as a medical orderly in World War I serving on Gallipoli, and as a senior surgeon for the Australian Army Medical Corps in World War II in Malaya....
. Sir Albert Ernest Coates was a soldier and a surgeon born at Mt Pleasant in Ballarat who served as a medical orderly at Gallipoli, trained as a doctor on his return and was worked tirelessly with minimal resources to save countless lives in Prisoner of War camps during World War 2.

Recently (late 2006), the Ballarat "Big Miner" was erected at the eastern entrance to Ballarat. The larger-than-life statue of a miner holding a pick and pan greets visitors as they approach the city from the east.

War memorials

Ballarat has an extensive array of significant war memorials, the most recent of which is the Australian Ex Prisoner of War Memorial

Ex Prisoner of War Memorial

The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial was dedicated on Friday, 6 February 2004. It is located on the Southern approaches to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, on Wendouree Parade and adjacent to Lake Wendouree....
. The most prominent memorial in the city is the Ballarat Victory Arch

Triumphal arch

A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a monumental arch, in theory built to celebrate a victory in war, actually used to celebrate a ruler....
that spans the old Western Highway on the Western approaches of the city. The archway serves as the focal point for the Avenue of Honour. Other significant individual monuments located along Sturt Street include those dedicated to the Boer War (1899-1901), the World War II (1939-1945) cenotaph, and Vietnam (1962-1972) (Located adjacent to the Arch of Victory).

Parks and gardens

The Ballarat Botanical Gardens

Ballarat Botanical Gardens

The Ballarat Botanical Gardens Reserve, located on the western shore of picturesque Lake Wendouree, in Ballarat, Victoria , Australia, covers an area of 40 hectares which is divided into 3 distinct zones....
until recently were amongst the finest Botanical Gardens in Australia with extensive varieties of native and introduced species of plants and trees. The Gardens have been stressed and significantly underplanted by the caretakers due to stesses imposed by an enduring drought that has affected the region for 13 years. Lake Wendouree

Lake Wendouree

Lake Wendouree is an artificially-created and maintained shallow urban lake in the city of Ballarat, Victoria , Australia. Since 1864, when a rowing course was first cut through the reedy swamp, it has been carefully nurtured by council and public-spirited citizens....
hosted the rowing events for the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations....
, and is normally a large recreational lake that was created out of former wetlands. The Lake has also recently been stressed by the dought and plans are well advanced to address water supply issues with a permanent solution. The gardens are home to the annual Ballarat Begonia Festival, and feature a modern glasshouse and horticultural centre. Also of note is the Prime Minister's Avenue
Prime Minister's Avenue

The Prime Minister's Avenue is a collection of Bust of the Prime Minister of Australia, located at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Ballarat, Victoria....
which features bronze busts of every Australian Prime Minister.

The town is also home to the award winning tourist park Sovereign Hill

Sovereign Hill

Sovereign Hill is an Open air museum in Ballarat, Victoria , Australia, that depicts Ballarat's first ten years after the discovery of gold there in 1851....
, a recreated 1850s gold mining settlement that is rated amongst one of the best tourism theme parks in the world.

Ballarat Wildlife Park a popular tourist attraction covers and includes a large reptile collection.

Architectural heritage

The legacy of the wealth generated during Ballarat's gold boom is still visible in a large number of fine stone buildings in and around the city, especially in the Lydiard Street area. This precinct contains some of Victoria's finest examples of Victorian era

Victorian era

The Victorian Era of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the period of Victoria of the United Kingdom reign from June 1837 to January 1901....
buildings, many of which are on the Victorian Heritage Register

Victorian Heritage Register

National Trust of Australia

The Australian Council of National Trusts is a community-based, non-government organisation, committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage by assisting the work of the State Trusts....
.

Notable civic buildings include the Town Hall (1870-72), the former Post Office (1864), the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery (1887), the Mechanics' Institute

Mechanics' Institutes

Historically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men....
(1860, 1869), the Queen Victoria Wards of the Ballarat Base Hospital (1890s), and the Ballarat railway station (1862, 1877, 1888).

Other fine buildings include the Provincial Hotel (1909), Reid's Coffee Palace

Coffee Palace

File:Melbourne coffee palace 1881.jpgThe term Coffee Palace was primarily used in Australia to describe the temperance hotels which were built during the period of the 1880s although there are references to the term also being used, to a lesser extent, in the United Kingdom....
(1886), Craig's Royal Hotel (1862-1890) and Her Majesty's Theatre (1875). A history of Her Majesty's Theatre, the oldest intact and operating lyric theatre in Australia, has been written.Ballarat has what is considered to be the greatest concentration of historic architectural cast iron lace building decoration in the world, with lacework adorning many public buildings, commercial establishments and houses. Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to restore or rebuild some of the more significant cast iron lace verandahs that were torn down in the 1960s. The most recent significant projects include the rebuilding of the 1914 Mechanics Institute verandah and the restoration of the former Unicorn Hotel facade. Information about heritage related things to do and see is found on the City of Ballarat webpage.

In 1998 a group of concerned citizens formed the Ballarat Citizens for Thoughtful Development with the aim of ensuring Ballarat's unique architectural heritage was given due consideration in the planning process. The group is now incorporated as Ballarat Heritage Watch.

Suburbs and city layout

The suburbs of Ballarat were originally concentrated on the gold mining areas in the east and south of the city, incorporating the modern day suburbs of:

Ballarat East
Soldiers Hill
Black Hill
Black Hill, Ballarat

Black Hill is an area in the north-east of Ballarat, Victoria , Australia. It has a milk bar/post office, a school and a famous lookout which is included on the Ballarat Treasures Register where most of Ballarat can be seen....
Brown Hill
Brown Hill

Brown Hill or Brownhill may refer to numerous things:* Brown Hill, Victoria - a suburb in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.* Brown Hill Creek - a river in Adelaide, South Australia....
Eureka
Eureka

Eureka is a famous exclamation attributed to Archimedes, see: Eureka ....
Caledonian
Caledonian

Caledonian is a Geography term used to refer to places, species, or items in or from Scotland, or particularly the Scottish Highlands. It derives from Caledonia, the Roman name for the area of modern Scotland....
Canadian
Canadian, Victoria

Canadian is an suburb in the east of the regional city of Ballarat, Victoria , Australia. It is primarily a residential area, but has a school, a small shopping area, and several parks and reserves including Sparrow Ground, which has been the subject of much community debate....
Redan
Redan

Redan is a term related to fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle toward an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material....
Sebastopol
Sebastopol

Sebastopol may refer to:Places:* Sebastopol, California, USA* Sebastopol, Mississippi, USA* Sebastopol, New South Wales, Australia* Sebastopol, Torfaen, Wales, United Kingdom...
Newington
Newington

Newington is the name of several places, districts and a school.* England:** Newington, London ** Newington, Swale, Kent** Newington, Shepway, Kent...

The post gold rush era has seen a boom in planned suburbs, particularly in the north and west of the CBD, including:

Alfredton
Wendouree
Ballarat North and parts of Nerrina
Invermay and Invermay Park
Sebastopol
Sebastopol

Sebastopol may refer to:Places:* Sebastopol, California, USA* Sebastopol, Mississippi, USA* Sebastopol, New South Wales, Australia* Sebastopol, Torfaen, Wales, United Kingdom...
Delecombe
Mt Clear
Mt Helen

Ballarat also has some more rural suburbs of 2-20 acre blocks within 15 minutes of the CBD that are very popular with families.

Miners Rest
Smythes Creek
Bunkers Hill

Industry and employment

Ballarat's major industries include tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
and hospitality, textiles, small engineering, food products, brick and tile manufacture, building, prefabricated housing, automotive components, education and information technology services.

Other major sectors of employment in the city include retailing, service industries, state and federal government branch offices and agencies and health care.

Media

Newspapers

Ballarat has two local newspapers, both owned by Rural Press Limited, 'The Courier

The Courier (Ballarat)

The Ballarat Courier is a daily newspaper circulating in the Ballarat region of regional Victoria .Its editor is Angela Carey. The newspaper is owned by Rural Press Ltd, a division of Fairfax Media....
' is a daily, and the 'Ballarat News' is a free weekly, distributed almost universally across the city every Wednesday, and containing news of community events, advertisements for local businesses, and a real estate and classifieds section.

Radio Stations

Local radio stations include '3BA', 'Power FM', 'Noise FM' and also several community radio stations. There are also local branches of ABC-run ABC Radio, Triple J

Triple J

Triple J is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian Radio in Australia , mainly aimed at youth . Music played on the station is generally more alternative music than commercial stations with a heavy emphasis on Music of Australia music and new music....
and ABC Classic FM.

102.3 FM - (local "classic hits" commercial radio station)
103.1 FM - 103.1 FM (local "top-40" commercial radio station)
99.9 FM - Voice FM - formerly known as 3bbb (local community-accessoradio station)
107.1 FM - 3JJJ (ABC Youth Radio)
107.9 FM - (Government-funded local news, current affairs, light entertainment and talkback)
621 AM - ABC Radio National (Government-funded, mostly news and talkback)
105.5 FM - ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM

ABC Classic FM is an Australian European classical music radio station available in major centres around the country. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ....
(Government-funded, classical music station)
103.9 FM - Ballarat Gospel Radio 103.9 FM (Christian community-based religious station)

Television

Television station BTV Channel 6 Ballarat commenced transmission of test patterns on 17 March 1962. Among the many local programs BTV6 produced, the 90 minute live variety program "Six Tonight" (1971-1983) hosted by local Ballarat identity Fred Fargher, was one of the few live Australian programs of this type being presented in Australia.

In his 1999 book And Now Here's... (Four Decades of Behind the Scenes Fun in Australian Television), Mike McColl Jones fondly remembers local live television variety. "...and in Ballarat, Victoria, a Tonight show ("Six Tonight") was carving its name into Australian television history. The show, hosted by Fred Fargher, ran for 13 years, and managed to attract many of the top name entertainers in the world, simply by offering them a limo ride to this beautiful country centre, a no-pressure spot on the show, and then a great dinner afterwards at one of the city's excellent restaurants. The sheer bravado of the offer enticed some of show business' biggest names."

Today Ballarat is serviced by five 'free to air' High Definition and Standard Definition Digital television services. Two television broadcasting stations are located in the city including WIN

WIN Television

WIN Television is an Australian Australian television broadcasting owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia....
(a sub-licensee of Nine Network

Nine Network

The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia based in Willoughby, New South Wales, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney....
) and PRIME

Prime Television

Prime Television is an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia owned by Prime Television Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN in Orange, New South Wales and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network affi...
(a sub-licensee of Seven Network

Seven Network

The Seven Network is an Australia Television broadcasting in Australia owned by the Seven Media Group. It dates back to 2 December 1956, when the first stations on the Very high frequency frequency were established in Sydney and Melbourne....
). These two stations broadcast relayed services throughout regional Victoria. The city also receives Southern Cross Ten

Southern Cross Ten

Southern Cross Ten is an Australian television channel broadcast by the Macquarie Media Group in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia....
(a sub-licensee of Network Ten

Network Ten

Network Ten, or Channel Ten, is one of Australia's three major commercial Television broadcasting in Australia. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, Western Australia, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country....
) that is based in Bendigo but operates a local office. Ballarat television maintains a similar schedule to the national television network but maintains local demographic commercials and local/regional news. In addition to commercial television services, Ballarat receives Government ABC and SBS

Special Broadcasting Service

The Special Broadcasting Service is one of two government-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and List of Australian television channels, the other being the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ....
television services.

Subscription television services are provided by Neighbourhood Cable

Neighbourhood Cable

Neighbourhood Cable is a telecommunications provider based in regional Victoria , Australia . Neighbourhood Cable owns and operates Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable networks in three Victorian regional cities:...
, Austar

Austar

About Austar Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones....
, and SelecTV

SelecTV

SelecTV is an Australian satellite based subscription television broadcasting service headed by CEO Jim Blomfield . In April 2006 the company said it had 2000 customers....
.

Education

Ballarat is home to two universities - Australian Catholic University Ballarat (Aquinas) and the University of Ballarat. The origins of the University of Ballarat

University of Ballarat

The University of Ballarat is a dual-sector university in Ballarat, Victoria , Australia. It was formed by the passage of an Act of the Parliament of Victoria in 1994, from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education....
lie in the Ballarat School of Mines, founded in 1870 and once affiliated with the University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria . The second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria, its main campus is in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb just north of the Melbourne CBD....
. The university consists of six campuses, three of which are in Ballarat. Two of these are located in the city (Camp Street and SMB campuses), while the main campus is located at Mount Helen, approximately 6 kilometres (3.75 mi) southeast of the city at the foot of Mount Buninyong. Ballarat is the only regional campus of the Australian Catholic University

Australian Catholic University

Australian Catholic University, or ACU National, is Australia only public Catholic university. It has more than 13,000 students and 900 staff on six campuses located in three states and the Australian Capital Territory....
, which has campuses in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.

Ballarat has four State Government-operated secondary schools, of which Ballarat High School (established in 1907) is the oldest. The other schools are Sebastopol College, Mount Clear College, and Ballarat Secondary College. Ballarat Secondary College was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of Ballarat East Secondary College, Wendouree Secondary College and Midlands Secondary College. The city is well serviced by Catholic schools, with 8 primary schools and 3 secondary colleges, the all-boys St Patrick's College

St Patrick's College, Ballarat

St Patrick's College, sometimes referred to colloquially as St Pat's or SPC, was founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1893. Is a Roman Catholic Church day school and boarding school, located in Ballarat, Australia....
, the all-girls Loreto College

Loreto College

Loreto is the name of several Roman Catholic schools throughout the world....
, and the co-educational Damascus College

Damascus College

Damascus College is a secondary, co-educational, Catholic day school situated over two campuses in Ballarat, Victoria, Victoria , Australia. The Junior Campus, for students in years 7 to 9, is located on Victoria St in Ballarat East and the Senior Campus, for students in years 10 to 12, is located on Geelong Rd in Mt Clear....
, which was formed by the amalgamation of St Paul's Technical School and Sacred Heart College

Sacred Heart College

There are a number of colleges with the name Sacred Heart:...
in the 1990s. Additionally, there are two private day or boarding schools which provide education from Years 1 to 12; Ballarat and Queens Anglican Grammar School

Ballarat Grammar School

Ballarat Grammar School is an independent, Anglican Church school located at Wendouree , Victoria, 123km west of Melbourne....
and Ballarat and Clarendon College

Ballarat and Clarendon College

Ballarat and Clarendon College is an Independent school, co-educational, Day school and boarding school, located in Ballarat, Victoria, Victoria , Australia....
.

Ballarat has several public libraries, the largest and most extensive of which is the City of Ballarat Library, located on Creswick Road. Another unique library service is provided by the Mechanics Institute in Sturt Street, which contains an excellent collection of historic, archival and rare reference material.

Arts and culture

Galleries

The Ballarat Fine Art Gallery

Ballarat Fine Art Gallery

The Art Gallery of Ballarat, formerly known as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery is the oldest and largest regional art gallery in Australia. Established in 1884 by the citizens of Ballarat, Victoria both the building and part of its collection is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
houses one of Australia's oldest and most extensive collections of early Australian works. It is considered to have the best Australian collections outside any capital city in Australia.

The University of Ballarat operates the Post Office Gallery in the Wardell designed former Post Office on the corner of Sturt and Lydiard Streets.

Performing Arts

Ballarat has a lively and well established theatrical community with several local ensembles as well as a number of large performing arts venues. Major performing arts venues include:

Her Majesty's Theatre - Seating 940
Post Office Box Theatre (University of Ballarat Arts Academy, Camp Street Campus) – Flexible Seating up to 100
Helen Macpherson Smith Performing Arts Theatre (University of Ballarat, Arts Academy Camp Street Campus) – Seating 200
The 1870 Founders Theatre (University of Ballarat, Mount Helen Campus) - Seating 600
The Courthouse Theatre (University of Ballarat, SMB Campus) - Seating 140
The Victoria Theatre (Sovereign Hill) - Seating 300
Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts (Ballarat Grammar School) – Seating 900
Gay E. Gough Theatre (Mt. Clear Secondary College) – Seating 350

Additionally the Mechanics Institute hall (seating 700) is used from time to time for travelling performances and cinema shows.

Ballarat is also the home to Australia's oldest and largest annual performing arts eisteddfod. The Royal South Street Eisteddfod is an all-encompassing performing arts festival and competition event that is conducted over twelve weeks annually.

Entertainment and Nightlife

In the 1970s the Ballarat urban area contained no less than 60 hotels. The introduction of gaming machines in the early 1990s has brought about significant change in the city entertainment precincts. By 2006 at least 20 hotels had closed and some of those that remain have been redeveloped as dining and/or gaming venues. Gaming machines have brought significant revenue to the remaining hotels, sports and social clubs which has enabled many to expand and modernise.

The city has several dance clubs as well as a highly active live music and jazz scene. Hotels are popular meeting places for young people. The city has many fine restaurants, wine bars and eateries as well as themed restaurants located at Sovereign Hill

Sovereign Hill

Sovereign Hill is an Open air museum in Ballarat, Victoria , Australia, that depicts Ballarat's first ten years after the discovery of gold there in 1851....
and Kryal Castle. December 2006 saw the creation of BTR, an organisation within Ballarat that has begun hosting dance events in Ballarat.

, a walking tour focusing on Ballarat's History and supernatural occurrences, operates Wednesday to Sunday.

A large cinema complex consisting of several theatres is located behind the facade of the old Regent cinemas in the heart of the city.

Dance parties are popular within the Ballarat area; however, the director of Ballarat Health Services (BHS), Andrew Rowe, has stated that Ballarat is "an inappropriate place to hold a rave" and has called for the Moorabool Shire Council to forbid raves (such as the one held at Kryal Castle) around the immediate Ballarat area.

Sport

Ballarat has produced many notable sports people, perhaps the most famous being marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens....
runner Steve Moneghetti

Steve Moneghetti

Stephen James Moneghetti is an Australian long-distance Running. He was not considered to be a good runner in primary school as he never managed to win a single medal....
. The city is well endowed with parks, sport fields and organised sporting clubs and associations.

Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian football, or simply known as football, footy, Aussie rules or as AFL, is a team sport played between two teams of 18 players with a football in the shape of a prolate spheroid....
and cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
are highly popular in the city. Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet high hoop under organized rules....
, horse racing and rowing are also popular.

The city is excellently equipped with indoor stadiums and training centres for most sports. The city has three international standard cricket ovals, an international standard athletics track, two Olympic sized pools as well as an indoor 25 metre (82 ft) competition short course pool.

Notable sporting teams in Ballarat include the North Ballarat Roosters

North Ballarat Football Club

The North Ballarat Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Ballarat and is the current VFL Premiers. The club is locally known as the Roosters and plays in the Victorian Football League....
who compete in the Victorian Football League

Victorian Football League

The Victorian Football League, formerly known as the Victorian Football Association is the premier league in Victoria. It is also known as the VFA/VFL, is the second-oldest Australian rules football league, formed in 1877, replacing the loose affiliation of clubs that had been the hallmark of the Australian Rules Football - Early...
and the Ballarat Miners

Ballarat Miners

The Ballarat Miners play in the East Conference of the SEABL in the Australian Basketball Association....
who compete in the South East Australian Basketball League

South East Australian Basketball League

SEABL consists of two men's and one women's conferences in the Australian Basketball Association . The SEABL conferences are considered the strongest in the ABA, developing many emerging Australian national basketball team players, as well as fostering a highly competitive semi-professional competition....
. The region is home to the strong Ballarat Football League

Ballarat Football League

The Ballarat Football League is an Australian rules football competition that operates in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia.The competition formed in 1893 as the Ballarat Football Association and was renamed Ballarat Football League in 1908 and was briefly known as the Ballarat-Wimmera Football League between 1934-36....
and Central Highlands Football League

Central Highlands Football League

The Central Highlands Football League is an Australian Rules Football League in the Ballarat, Victoria area. Formed in 1979 as a merger of the Clunes FL and the Ballarat Bacchus Marsh FL, there are 14 clubs in the league and they play 17 rounds every season with the finals based on a final five format....
. Ballarat, Lake Wendouree and North Ballarat City have teams in the Ballarat Football League. The Ballarat Football Club

Ballarat Football Club

The Ballarat Football Club competes in the Ballarat Football League. The club, nicknamed the Swans has a history of dating back to 1860. Ballarat once competed in the Victorian Football Association ....
, formed in 1860, remains one of the oldest football club

Oldest football club

The title of the world's oldest football club, or the oldest club in a particular country, is often disputed, or is claimed by several different clubs, across several different football....
s in the world.

The city has a soccer competition, known as the BDSA.

Ballarat has excellent horse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrianism sport that has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot racing of Ancient Rome are an early example, as is the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology....
and greyhound racing

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
tracks, and the Harness Racing centre is considered to be among the best in Australia.

Ballarat is home to numerous rowing

Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes racing against each other on rivers, lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline....
clubs, and annually hosts the Victorian Schools Rowing Championships. Lake Wendouree plays host to the annual 'Head of the Lake' rowing regatta- contested by Ballarat High School, Ballarat and Clarendon College, Ballarat Grammar School, St Patrick's College and Loreto College. The city hosted rowing events for the 1956 Olympic Games

1956 Summer Olympics

Climate

Ballarat experiences a temperate climate with four seasons. Its elevation, at 450 metres (1,476 ft) above sea level, causes its mean monthly temperatures to tend on average 2-3 degrees Celsius below those of Melbourne. The mean daily maximum temperature for January is 24.9 °C (76.8 °F), while for July it is 10 °C (50 °F). The mean annual rainfall is 705 millimetres (27.75 in), with August being the wettest month (77 mm/3.0 in). There are an average of 198 rain-free days per year. In winter, snow

Snow

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The process of this precipitation is called snowfall....
occasionally falls on nearby Mount Buninyong

Mount Buninyong

Mount Buninyong is a hill overlooking Ballarat, Victoria in Victoria , Australia. Formed from an extinct volcano, it rises to 719 metres above sea level....
, and in very cold winters, has been known to fall heavily in the city. It is not uncommon however for snow to fall in the city during most winters.

In recent years, Ballarat (along with South Eastern Australia) has experienced a severe decrease in average annual rain fall with falls averaging as low as 400 mm per year since 2001. This is evident by the recent drying out of Lake Wendouree and substantial water restrictions being imposed on the city and many other regional centres throughout Victoria. The City of Ballarat, The Central Highlands Water Commission, and State Government of Victoria have initiated a number of projects that are designed to ensure that the city is guaranteed a steady water supply and that the lake will be regenerated using storm water and recycled water from the city's treatment plants. Many residents have become pro-active and redirect grey water from homes directly onto gardens and for outdoor cleaning as a matter of daily routine.

The City of Ballarat is further using the drought as an opportunity to dredge the lake and upgrade the international rowing course. Many decades-old introduced species of trees planted in many of the public spaces around the city have not coped well with the recent, persistent drought prompting the City Council to plan for their eventual removal and replacement with similar looking Australian native varieties that are considerably more dry weather tolerant.

Notable residents

Sir Henry Bolte
Henry Bolte

Sir Henry Edward Bolte Order of St Michael and St George , Australian politician, was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria. In his later years he became known as the last Australian politician to advocate, and use, capital punishment....
, Premier of Victoria
Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks

Stephen Philip Bracks is a former Australian politician, and the 44th Premiers of Victoria, holding the position for eight years, from 1999 to 2007....
, Premier of Victoria
John Curtin
John Curtin

John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in World War II....
, Prime Minister of Australia
Henry Daglish
Henry Daglish

Henry Daglish was the sixth Premier of Western Australia of Western Australia and the state's first Australian Labor Party Premier.Henry Daglish was born in Ballarat, Victoria West, Victoria on 18 November 1866....
, Premier of Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin

Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria , including the protection of rights at work....
, Inaugural Federal Member of Parliament for Ballarat and Second Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia

The Prime Minister of Australia is the head of government of the Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia....
Duncan Gillies
Duncan Gillies

Duncan Gillies , Australian colonial politician, was the 14th Premier of Victoria.Gillies was born at Overnewton near Glasgow, Scotland, where his father had a market garden....
, Premier of Victoria
Thomas Hollway
Thomas Hollway

Thomas Tuke "Tom" Hollway was the 36th Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1947 to 1950, and again for a short period in 1952. From 1932 until 1955, Hollway served in the Victorian Legislative Assembly: first as a member of the United Australia Party , then as a Liberal Party of Australia....
, Premier of Victoria
Ryan Harris
Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris may refer to:* Ryan Harris * Ryan Harris ...
, Guitarist of local band, Chase Nation
Peter Lalor
Peter Lalor

Peter Fintan Lalor was the leader of the Eureka Stockade rebellion, one of Australia's few armed uprisings and often characterised controversially as the "birth of democracy" in Australia....
, Leader of the Eureka Rebellion(1854)and colonial Parliamentarian
Brendan Paterson, Head of Western Victorian Telcomunications, 2001 - Present
Sir Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, Order of the Thistle, Order of Australia, Order of the Companions of Honour, Queen's Counsel , Australian politician, was the twelfth Prime Minister of Australia....
, Prime Minister of Australia
Cardinal George Pell
George Pell

George Pell Order of Australia is an Australian Roman Catholic bishop. He is the current Archbishop of Sydney and ex officio head of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia....
, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney
James Scullin
James Scullin

James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia....
, Prime Minister of Australia, 1930-31

Ballarat, Victoria

History

Transport

Features

Grand avenues and boulevards

Statues and monuments

War memorials

Parks and gardens

Architectural heritage

Suburbs and city layout

Industry and employment

Media

Newspapers

Radio Stations

Television

Education

Arts and culture

Galleries

Performing Arts

Entertainment and Nightlife

Sport

Climate

Notable residents

External links