Ballarat

Ballarat is where Australian democracy was born—in violence, on a goldfield, at dawn. On 3 December 1854, colonial troops attacked the Eureka Stockade, killing at least 22 miners and 5 soldiers in a battle over mining license fees and the right to vote. The miners lost the fight but won the war: public outrage led to universal adult male suffrage, elected representation, and the end of the license system. Peter Lalor, who led the rebellion with his arm shot off, became a member of parliament. The Southern Cross flag raised at Eureka became a symbol of Australian radicalism.

Three years earlier, in August 1851, James Regan and John Dunlop had discovered gold at Poverty Point. Ballarat became the most productive alluvial goldfield in the world. Victoria's population exploded from 75,000 to 500,000 in a decade. The Wadawurrung people, who had inhabited this land for millennia, were displaced by a gold rush that transformed Australia's demographic and political landscape. The wealth extracted built Melbourne's grand buildings; the rebellion at Eureka built its democracy.

When the gold ran out, Ballarat didn't disappear—unlike countless other mining towns. The grand Victorian architecture remained; the city became a service center for surrounding agriculture; manufacturing arrived. By 1936, Melbourne had relegated Ballarat to Victoria's second city, behind Geelong. But the heritage that gold built became the city's next asset: tourism, education, and a lifestyle that Melbourne commuters increasingly seek.

Today Ballarat is home to 110,000 people, with GRP growth of 3.5% annually—exceeding regional Victoria's average. The economy is concentrated in transport manufacturing (MaxiTrans, Alstom), technology (IBM), and education (Federation University). Melbourne's housing prices are driving a new wave of migration: commuters who work in the capital but live where houses cost less. Population projections suggest 128,000 by 2031 and 230,000 by 2050, with 46,900 new homes planned.

By 2026, Ballarat is positioning itself as a university city and tourism hub. The Enabling Growth 2025 initiative seeks federal support for eight transformational projects, including centralizing Federation University with TAFE in the CBD. The new Ballarat Base Hospital will anchor healthcare expansion. The city that birthed Australian democracy through armed rebellion now bets on education, heritage tourism, and Melbourne spillover. The gold is gone; the legacy remains.