Ballarat Central
Encyclopedia
Ballarat Central is a defined locality surrounded by suburban Ballarat
in Victoria
, Australia
. It is the second oldest area in Ballarat (after Ballarat East
). It was formerly known as Ballaarat West. The population of Ballarat Central at the 2006 census
was 5,645, making it the third most populous in the urban area. It is the administrative headquarters for the City of Ballarat
as well as the Ballarat Base Hospital
and health services, the main campus of University of Ballarat
, home to the city's major religious institutions and a major retail, commercial and inner city
residential area.
The boundaries are Lexton, Drummond, Talbot and Pleasant Street to the west; Sebastopol, Hill, Hummfray and Steinford Street to the south; Peel Street to the east and Serviceton Railway Line to the north.
Ballarat Central is significant historically and architecturally and much of the Ballarat Central area is covered by Heritage Overlay
s.
.
It was surveyed by William Urquhart as early as October 1851. By 1852 his grid plan
and wide streets were prepared for the first land sales in the new township of West Ballarat.
As the city grew, Ballarat West became home to the city's middle class, bankers and wealthy professionals establishing businesses around Lydiard Street and institutions along Sturt and Drummond Streets.
. The tallest buildings in the central city area is the seven storey Henry Bolte wing of the Ballarat Base Hospital (erected 1994); the Law Court (now Arts Academy) tower (erected 1941) on Camp Street; Lydiard House on Lydiard Street Nth; and the MLC tower Lydiard Street Sth, (erected 1957) at five storeys. Planning approval was granted in 2010 for a six storey building on Mair Street.
The Ballarat City Council approved a Central Business District Strategy for the development of buildings, development sites, transport and streescape for the next 20 – 25 years in late 2010. It aims to secure funding and private and government interest in the ongoing development of Ballarat's CBD. The draft proposal identifies Mair Street as an alternate East-West traffic route with the potential for hi-rise mixed use development and possibilities for the creation of a 'Civic Heart' for the city where public events can be conducted on a regular basis.
. Ballarat's main pedestrian mall
is Bridge Mall which occupies a section of Bridge Street between Grenville Street and Humffray Street. The largest indoor shopping mall
is Central Square Shopping Centre
(built 1988) opposite the town hall which includes the major department stores of Myer
and Target. Other shopping malls in the CBD include Norwich Plaza built in the 1970s and the City Arcade built in the 1980s. In the CBD there are several supermarkets including two Coles
, a Woolworths, an Aldi
and a Big W
as well as large specialty stores including The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi
, Dick Smith Electronics
and branches of the big four retail banks. Bridge Mall, Sturt Street, Armstrong and Mair Street are the major retail streets in the CBD.
, town house or semi-detached
with the lowest amount of housing being strata title
d units or apartments (6%).
, and small squares at Civic Hall, Camp Street, Bridge Mall and church grounds there is very little accessible recreational space in Ballarat Central.
There are just two sports ovals on the Western Oval on the western fringe and Hickman Street Oval on the southern fringe.
s, including a multi-storey facility
on Dana Street owned by the council, parking spaces are heavily used.
Ballarat is the hub of the Ballarat Transit bus network, with major terminals at Ballarat railway station and Little Bridge Street.
Ballarat railway station
is the main railway station for Ballarat Central and also the urban area.
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the second oldest area in Ballarat (after Ballarat East
Ballarat East, Victoria
Ballarat East, is a suburb of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Ballarat East covers a large area east of the CBD. It is the oldest area in Ballarat and was once also a municipality known as the Ballarat East Town Council between 1859 and 1921...
). It was formerly known as Ballaarat West. The population of Ballarat Central at the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
was 5,645, making it the third most populous in the urban area. It is the administrative headquarters for the City of Ballarat
City of Ballarat
The City of Ballarat is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia around Ballarat. It is located in the western part of the state. It has an area of 740 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 81,000...
as well as the Ballarat Base Hospital
Ballarat Base Hospital
The Ballarat Base Hospital is a hospital located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It is a public hospital operated by Ballarat Health Services...
and health services, the main campus of University of Ballarat
University of Ballarat
The University of Ballarat is a dual-sector university in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It was formed by the passage of an Act of the Victorian Parliament in 1994, from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education...
, home to the city's major religious institutions and a major retail, commercial and inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
residential area.
The boundaries are Lexton, Drummond, Talbot and Pleasant Street to the west; Sebastopol, Hill, Hummfray and Steinford Street to the south; Peel Street to the east and Serviceton Railway Line to the north.
Ballarat Central is significant historically and architecturally and much of the Ballarat Central area is covered by Heritage Overlay
Heritage Overlay
A Heritage Overlay or HO is one of a number of planning scheme overlays contained in the Victorian Planning Provisions, for use in planning schemes in Victoria, Australia...
s.
Toponomy
While the original name for Ballarat Central was Ballaarat and later Ballarat West, the current name originates from the Central Division, a mining lead in the 1870s. Several sporting teams used the name, as well as the local primary school as early as the 1880s. It was officially gazetted "Ballarat Central" sometime after the 1980s although it is still marked simply "Ballarat" on some maps.Settlement
The settlement of Ballarat West was established during the Victorian gold rushVictorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
.
It was surveyed by William Urquhart as early as October 1851. By 1852 his grid plan
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
and wide streets were prepared for the first land sales in the new township of West Ballarat.
As the city grew, Ballarat West became home to the city's middle class, bankers and wealthy professionals establishing businesses around Lydiard Street and institutions along Sturt and Drummond Streets.
Urban Form and Planning
Ballarat Central is laid out in grid planGrid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
. The tallest buildings in the central city area is the seven storey Henry Bolte wing of the Ballarat Base Hospital (erected 1994); the Law Court (now Arts Academy) tower (erected 1941) on Camp Street; Lydiard House on Lydiard Street Nth; and the MLC tower Lydiard Street Sth, (erected 1957) at five storeys. Planning approval was granted in 2010 for a six storey building on Mair Street.
The Ballarat City Council approved a Central Business District Strategy for the development of buildings, development sites, transport and streescape for the next 20 – 25 years in late 2010. It aims to secure funding and private and government interest in the ongoing development of Ballarat's CBD. The draft proposal identifies Mair Street as an alternate East-West traffic route with the potential for hi-rise mixed use development and possibilities for the creation of a 'Civic Heart' for the city where public events can be conducted on a regular basis.
Retail
Ballarat Central contains the main retail area of Ballarat, however in recent decades it has been challenged by WendoureeWendouree, Victoria
Wendouree is a large suburb on the north western rural-urban fringe of the City of Ballarat, in Victoria, Australia. It is the most populated suburb in urban Ballarat with a total of 10,752 inhabitants counted at the 2006 Census....
. Ballarat's main pedestrian mall
Pedestrian mall
Pedestrian malls in the United States are also known as pedestrian streets and are the most common form of pedestrian zone in large cities in the United States. It is a street lined with storefronts and closed off to most automobile traffic...
is Bridge Mall which occupies a section of Bridge Street between Grenville Street and Humffray Street. The largest indoor shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
is Central Square Shopping Centre
Central Square, Ballarat
Central Square, Ballarat, is the largest shopping centre in the Ballarat CBD. The centre features a 4 level Myer store with access only available between the store and centre from the 1st level. There is also a large Target store on the 2nd level...
(built 1988) opposite the town hall which includes the major department stores of Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
and Target. Other shopping malls in the CBD include Norwich Plaza built in the 1970s and the City Arcade built in the 1980s. In the CBD there are several supermarkets including two Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
, a Woolworths, an Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
and a Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
as well as large specialty stores including The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
, Dick Smith Electronics
Dick Smith Electronics
Dick Smith is an international electronics retailer, founded in 1968 by Richard "Dick" Smith. Today, it is a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited, incorporating Tandy, and the remaining Dick Smith Powerhouse Stores...
and branches of the big four retail banks. Bridge Mall, Sturt Street, Armstrong and Mair Street are the major retail streets in the CBD.
Housing
Ballarat Central area also includes some medium to low density housing. Approximately 89% of housing in Ballarat Central is Single-family detached home with 7% of housing is terraced houseTerraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
, town house or semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
with the lowest amount of housing being strata title
Strata title
Strata title is a form of ownership devised for multi-level apartment blocks and horizontal subdivisions with shared areas. The 'strata' part of the term refers to apartments being on different levels, or "strata"....
d units or apartments (6%).
Parks and Open Space
With the exception of Sturt Street GardensSturt Street Gardens
The Sturt Street Gardens is a central reservation running along one of the main thoroughfares of Ballarat — Sturt Street — after which it is named...
, and small squares at Civic Hall, Camp Street, Bridge Mall and church grounds there is very little accessible recreational space in Ballarat Central.
There are just two sports ovals on the Western Oval on the western fringe and Hickman Street Oval on the southern fringe.
Transport
Several busy roads pass through Ballarat Central, they include Lydiard Street (north-south and the historic business street); Mair Street (east west - commercial and future business area); Sturt Street/Bridge Mall (east-west - main retail area); Armstrong Street (north-south); Doveton Street and Drummond Street (the hospital precinct). Car parking is a major problem in Ballarat Central, with restricted parking times (parking meters). While there are several parking lotParking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
s, including a multi-storey facility
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
on Dana Street owned by the council, parking spaces are heavily used.
Ballarat is the hub of the Ballarat Transit bus network, with major terminals at Ballarat railway station and Little Bridge Street.
Ballarat railway station
Ballarat railway station, Victoria
Ballarat railway station is a railway station serving the city of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia.The station is located on the Ballarat line and serves both freight and passenger functions....
is the main railway station for Ballarat Central and also the urban area.
See also
- Electoral district of Ballarat EastElectoral district of Ballarat EastBallarat East is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 3,323 km² part-urban and part-rural electorate covering areas to the east of the regional centre of Ballarat...
- BallaratBallarat, VictoriaBallarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...