Why we love Ballarat, the gold rush city that’s a Victorian gem
It blossomed on the back of Victoria’s gold rush but today there’s so much more drawing people to live in Ballarat, from top schools to fine dining and some of the best festivals around.
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Ballarat is the regional city in Victoria’s west with a lot of history.
It’s name comes from two Aboriginal words ‘Balla’ and ‘Arat’ meaning resting place.
These words were first recorded by Scottish squatter Archibald Yuille as ‘Ballaarat’ in 1837 and the town’s name was spelt that way until the 1994 local government amalgamation when it became known as the City of Ballarat.
Ballarat is known for being a gold rush town in the 1850s, shaping democracy with the Eureka Stockade in 1854 and always being much colder than Melbourne (explained by its 435m elevation above sea level).
Ballarat is home to an impressive man-made recreational lake, Lake Wendouree and newly-built Mars Stadium which hosts AFL games.
It also has a highly sought-after property market, booming job sector and thriving food and drinks scene — here’s what else we love about old, gold-rush town Ballarat.
REAL ESTATE
Ballarat’s property market is in high-demand, with more buyers than available stock.
Scott Petrie, of Trevor Petrie Real Estate, puts this down Ballarat’s attractive lifestyle and great location.
“We get a mix of people moving to Ballarat — people from Melbourne buying investments, farmers from western Victoria relocating to be closer to medical facilities,” he says.
“We’ve got people who used to go to school here, now well into their working lives who are moving back. People really enjoy the lifestyle because it’s an hour from Melbourne and the beach, and they can doing things without a rush.”
Mr Petrie has watched Ballarat become more developed in the last 20 years.
“We are finding growth to the west of Ballarat, in suburbs like Lucas, Winter Valley and Delacombe. Now there’s the infrastructure with Delacombe Town Centre it’s even more of a drawcard.”
Realestate.com.au data shows Ballarat central’s median house price was $500,000 and the average rent $340 per week.
Mr Petrie said the median house price was closer to $515,000, and the rent $328 per week for three-bedroom and $495 for four-bedroom properties.
The median price of properties in Ballarat suburb Alfredton was $480,000, up 4.3% in the last quarter — popular for being Ballarat High School zoned.
Mr Petrie says interest in Ballarat properties would only improve, given the region’s predicted job growth.
Ballarat will welcome a new state revenue office and Gov Hub space, and is already home to IMB, McCains, Mars, MaxiTrans and Ambulance Victoria HQ.
SCHOOLS AND HIGHER EDUCATION
PRIMARY
Ballarat North, Dana Street, Ballarat Steiner, Black Hill, Canadian Lead, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Street and Urquhart are Ballarat’s government primary schools, while St Alipius’ Parish and St Columba’s, St Francis Xavier and St Patrick’s School are private options.
SECONDARY
Ballarat High enrols the most — taking on 1462 students in 2018 — and is one of the two government high schools in the region. Ballarat Secondary College is the other and has two campuses — Woodmans Hill in Ballarat East and Mount Rowan, formerly known as Wendouree High, in Wendouree.
Two private, single-sex secondary schools Loreto (girls) and St Patrick’s (boys) are also available.
Ballarat Grammar, Ballarat Christian College and Ballarat Clarendon College are three private P-12 options. Some private colleges offer boarding, while Ballarat Specialist School caters for students with either a mild, moderate or complex intellectual disability.
TERTIARY
Federation University, formerly known as University of Ballarat, has two campuses in Ballarat — in town and at Mount Helen about 10km from the city centre. The university offers courses in nursing, midwifery, allied health, performing arts, education and engineering, among others. Federation University also has a TAFE arm.
GETTING AROUND
Car is the main form of transport in Ballarat and the Western Hwy the main link between the regional centre and Melbourne. V/Line runs train services between Wendouree, Ballarat and Melbourne several times daily, taking about 90 minutes.
There’s express services running during the peak, which takes about one hour and 15 minutes.
The addition of extra carparks at Ballarat Station has made it easier for commuters to access the space, just make sure you get in early to snare a park.
FOOD/DRINK
CAFES
Locals will remember the time when L’Espresso and Europa were the only places making decent coffee in town. Those places are now joined by newcomers Fika and Johnny Alloo, Yellow Espresso and Little Bird on Sturt Street, Hydrant Food Hall, Kittelty’s and gems like Webster Street Cafe, Tin Roof, The Local and Drive Cafe.
RESTAURANTS
There’s also plenty of new restaurants in town, notably 16-seater fine diner Underbar, and
Mr Jones Dining by Damien and Danielle Jones (formerly of Thai favourite Catfish). Simon and Gorgi Coghlan are behind the revamped The Provincial Hotel and adjoining restaurant Lola, opposite Ballarat Railway Station. The duo launched Chinese dumpling restaurant Fu Man Lou on Camp St in 2015, now run by new owners. Add stalwart pizzeria The Forge Pizzeria, funky Thai joint Moon and Mountain, Spanish bodega Cafe Meigas and their newbie Latin American Pancho and there’s a decent line up. Tokyo Grill House, African restaurant Cafe Merkama and Eureka Pizza Pasta are other Ballarat favourites.
PUBS
At one stage, Ballarat had one of the highest number of pubs to people ratio. There’s still a decent number of local watering holes in the ‘burbs plus more popular establishments in the CBD. These include The George, Irish Murphy’s, Golden City Hotel and Oscars. On the outskirts lies the Lake View Hotel at Lake Wendouree, Red Lion in Ballarat East, The Mallow, Black Hill Hotel, Bunch of Grapes, The Grapes, North Britain and The Western.
CLUBS AND BARS
The Sporting Globe is the place to watch live sport, while The Hop Temple is a craft beer and food hall. Mitchell Harris Wine Bar has a great selection from the Ballarat, Pyrenees and greater Western Victoria region. There’s also RJMs Wine Bar on the Coles-end of Mair St. The Lost Ones Basement Bar is ideal for cocktails, as is The Comfort of Strangers on Mair St. Dance the night away at The Bluestone or The Lounge Nightclub out the back of The George.
BAKERIES
Beechworth Bakery Ballarat is known for its pies, while Golden Nugget’s vanilla slices have been crowned Australia’s best at the Merbein Great Vanilla Slice Triumph. There’s also a drive-through option for those cold Ballarat mornings. Skipton St Bakery and King Hot Bread are other bakeries. There’s a way to get access to the famed Sovereign Hill Hope Bakery, without having to pay admittance fee to the park — just ask at the front counter.
FAST FOOD, TAKEAWAY
Gravy Spot is home to Ballarat creation chips, cheese and gravy. The poutine-style dish is popular after that night on the town. Another local favourite Griffin Burger has developed a cult-following online for what it slams between two buns. Ballarat is home to all your usual fast-food suspects, and was one of the first Victorian locations for Carl’s Jnr.
RETAIL
Ballarat’s largest shopping centre is Stockland Wendouree, formerly known as The Village. There’s plenty of parks but gets quite busy on weekends. In town there’s Central Square that’s home to Myer and several other boutiques, but parking in and around town can be difficult.
There’s also Delacombe Town Centre which is fast becoming a popular spot to shop with a Bunnings, Readings Cinema, Kmart and Woolworths.
Many people will have memories of visiting Sovereign Hill as a child, but trust it’s not Ballarat’s only attraction. Visit during winter to experience the ‘Winter Wonderlights’ which comes with the promise of snow.
Get cultured at the Art Gallery of Ballarat or see the Callum Morton Monument #32: Helter Shelter (the Donald Trump’s head) at Alfred Deakin Place until April 5.
Ballarat Wildlife Park is now home to penguins and meerkats and if you’re up for a medieval adventure detour to Kryal Castle off the Western Hwy.
Ballarat’s also known for its growing number of festivals like White Night, Ballarat Beer Festival and Begonia Festival.
SPORT
Mars Stadium, formerly Eureka Stadium, is Ballarat’s 11,000 capacity stadium that’s hosted two Western Bulldogs AFL games, the AFL Women’s Competition and the Marsh Community Series.
Outside of the AFL, there’s local Ballarat Football League home to 11 clubs, the Ballarat Football Netball League, soccer, cricket, basketball and horse racing.
Ballart Golf Club is home to the New Thomson Perret designed championship course.
Competitive cycling comes to Ballarat each January when the Road Nationals are held in town, with the Criterium shutting off Sturt Street.
HOSPITALS, HEALTH
The state government has invested $461m to upgrade Ballarat Base Hospital which will add 18,000 more emergency department patients, and 14,500 inpatients when completed in 2026. Ballarat Base is of the western region’s largest hospitals. St John of God is a private hospital with an emergency and maternity wards. There’s also specialist medical services like Ballarat Cancer Centre.
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