Ballarat

One of the major sites of the 19th century gold rush, Ballarat's beautiful Victorian buildings and wide, tree-lined streets serve as a reminder of the town's proud history as a major source of wealth and employment for Victoria.

Ballarat is in the Ballarat City Council area.

Location information

Climate

In summer (January), Ballarat's average minimum temperature is 12.1 degrees, and the average maximum is 24.9. In winter (July) average temperatures range from a minimum of 3.7 to a maximum of 9.2. The town's average annual rainfall is 705mm (Source: Bureau of Meteorology climate statistics, May 2008).

Population

78,221 (Source: ABS Census 2006).

Cultural diversity

Around 14 percent of people living in Ballarat were born outside Australia.

Migrants have settled in Ballarat from:

• England (2.1%)
• Scotland (0.4%)
• Netherlands (0.7%)
• India (0.4%)
• New Zealand (0.6%)

Around eight percent of people living in Ballarat speak a language other than English at home.

Languages spoken in Ballarat include:

• Mandarin (0.3%)
• German (0.2%)
• Italian (0.3%)
• Dutch (0.2%)
• Greek (0.2%)

Finding a job

Key industries and employers

The top five industries by employment in Ballarat are:

Local skill shortages

Skills shortages in Ballarat occur in the following occupations:

• Accountants
• Cabinetmakers
• Carpenters and joiners
• Cooks
• Fibrous plasterers
• General fabrication engineering tradespeople
• Health professionals
• Human resource managers
• Metal fitters
• Metal machinists
• Plumbers
• Registered nurses
• Sales, marketing and advertising professionals
• Social welfare professionals
• Specialist medical practitioners
• Wood machinists and turners

Job search links

To see jobs currently available in Ballarat, visit:

• MyCareer
• Seek
• Careerone
• Jobs Ballarat
• The Courier

Lifestyle information

Housing and accommodation

In the year to April 2008, the median price of houses sold in the Ballarat area was between $195,000 and $222,000.

In December 2007, the median rent for a two-bedroom flat in Ballarat was $173 per week, and the median rent for a three-bedroom house was $200 per week.

For information about local hotels, motels and caravan parks, visit the Ballarat Visitor Information Centre's accommodation directory.

To find a local real estate agent, visit the REIV agent directory, type 'Ballarat’ into the search box, select 'suburb' and then press 'search'.

Healthcare

Ballarat Health Services and the St John of God Hospital are the main health services located in Ballarat. For information about healthcare providers in the Ballarat area, please visit the Victorian Better Health Channel's health services directory.

More information on Victoria's healthcare system can be found in the Health & Medical section.

Schools

For information on schools in Ballarat, visit the Schools Online website and search for ‘Ballarat’. More information on Victoria's education system can be found in the Education & Childcare section.

Travel

Distance and travel time

Ballarat is 110km west of Melbourne. You can travel from Ballarat to Melbourne by:

• car (1 hour 20 minutes)
• coach (1 hour 40 minutes)
• train (1 hour and 20 minutes)

Nearby towns are:

• Bacchus Marsh (57km)
• Geelong (86km)
• Ararat (95km)
• Castlemaine (79km)
• Maryborough (67km)

Public transport

Buses operate around Ballarat, and between the town and surrounding areas. For specific routes and timetables, please visit the regional bus information on VicLink and select from the drop down list.

Places of worship

For information about where you can practice your faith, please visit your religion's Australian website. To find it, visit Google, type in the name of your religion, and select 'pages from Australia'.

Sport and recreation

For more information about sport and recreation in Ballarat, please visit the Ballarat City Council website.

Ballarat attractions

• Pan for gold at Sovereign Hill, where the life and times of a gold-rush mining settlement has been recreated
• Walk the Eureka trail, from Camp Street to the site of the Eureka Stockade
• Explore the beautiful Botanic Gardens and Lake Wendouree
• Ballarat Begonia Festival (March)
• Eureka Week (December)