Ballarat



'''Ballarat, Victoria, Australia '''

Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat") is a regional city and the largest inland centre in the state of Victoria, Australia, located approximately 105 kilometres (65 miles) north-west of the state capital Melbourne. The city is part of the wider municipality of the City of Ballarat, which encompasses both the suburbs and outlying towns spanning an area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq miles). Collectively this area is home to over 91,000 people. As of 2006, the city had an urban population of 78,221 people. A resident of Ballarat is known as a “Ballaratian”.

The city lies at 441 metres AHD (Australian Height Datum) at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in Central Western Victoria. Ballarat is the largest centre in a region of the state known as the Central Highlands.

Ballarat is one of the most significant Victoria era boomtowns in Australia. Gold was discovered near Ballarat in 1851 spawning the Victorian gold rush. The area of Ballarat was found to be a rich alluvial field where gold could easily be extracted, bringing with it rapid growth. The arrival of over 10,000 migrants to the city within a year transformed it from a station to briefly become the largest settlement in the newly proclaimed Colony of Victoria.

Ballarat is notable as the site for Australia's only armed civil uprising, a fight for Miner’s Right, the Eureka Rebellion which took place on 3 December 1854. The event is considered to be a defining moment in Australian history.

While Ballarat's importance relative to Melbourne faded with the slowing of gold extraction, the city endures as a major regional centre. Ballarat is known for its vibrant art culture, as a tourist destination and for its extensive, well preserved architecture and grand boulevards and gardens.