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| Ballarat |
Population : 85,935 (2011) (19th)..
Established: 1838.
Location: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Area: 113.7 km2 (43.9 sq mi).
Elevation:
435 m (1,427 ft).
Ballarat is a city located on the Yarrowee River and lower western plains
of the Great Dividing Range in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately
105 kilometres (65 mi) west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is
the third most populous urban area in the state, with a population of 85,935 It
is the state's most populated inland settlement, and fifth most populated inland
settlement in Australia. People from Ballarat are referred to as Ballaratians
or Ballafornians.
The City of Ballarat local government area
encompasses both the Greater Ballarat urban area and outlying towns with an
area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq mi) and has an urban area population of
93,501. Ballarat is its most populous urban centre, seat of local government
and administrative centre.
It was named by Scottish squatter Archibald
Yuille who established the first settlement—his sheep run called Ballaarat—in
1837, with the name derived from local Wathaurong Aboriginal words for the
area, balla arat, thought to mean "resting place". The present
spelling was officially adopted by the City of Ballarat in 1996.
It is one of the most significant Victorian
era boomtowns in Australia. Just months after Victoria was granted separation
from New South Wales, the Victorian gold rush transformed Ballarat from a small
sheep station to a major settlement. Gold was discovered at Poverty Point on 18
August 1851 and news quickly spread of rich alluvial fields where gold could
easily be extracted. Within months, approximately 20,000 migrants had rushed
the district.[8] Several Australian mining innovations were made at the
Ballarat diggings including the first use of a Chilean mill in 1851 and the first
use of a mine cage in 1861. Unlike many other gold rush boom towns, the
Ballarat fields experienced sustained high gold yields for decades.
The Eureka Rebellion began in Ballarat, and
the only armed rebellion in Australian history, the Battle of Eureka Stockade,
took place on 3 December 1854. In response to the event the first male suffrage
in Australia was instituted and as such Eureka is interpreted by some as the
origin of democracy in Australia. The gold rush and boom gave birth in many
other significant cultural legacies. The rebellion's symbol, the Eureka Flag
has become a national symbol and is held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at
Eureka in Ballarat. Other nationally significant heritage structures include
the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, established 1857, the best example of a
regional botanic gardens in Australia[10] with the greatest concentration of
public statuary including the official Prime Ministers Avenue; the longest
running lyric theatre building, Her Majesty's, established 1875; the first
municipal observatory, established 1886; and the earliest and longest memorial
avenue, the Avenue of Honour, established between 1917 and 1919.
Proclaimed a city in 1871, its prosperity
continued until late in the 19th century, after which its importance relative
to both Melbourne and Geelong rapidly faded with the slowing of gold
extraction. It has endured as a major regional centre hosting the rowing and
kayaking events from the 1956 Summer Olympics. It is the commercial capital of
the Central Highlands and the largest city in the Goldfields region of
Victoria—a significant tourist destination. Ballarat is known for its history,
culture and its well preserved Victorian era heritage.
Street
View of Ballarat
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