Editing Ballarat (section)

===Primary sector===
[[File:The "Welcome Nugget" Replica.jpg|thumb|right|Replica of the "[[Welcome Nugget]]", found at Ballarat, the second-largest gold nugget discovered in recorded history]]
Though historically an important sector, the production of Ballarat's primary sector declined for many decades, recovering only marginally since 2006.<ref name="ballarat.vic.gov.au">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf|title=Ballarat rural land use strategy|access-date=31 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923182004/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Where historically the mining industry supported tens of thousands of workers or the majority of the population, today agriculture dominates the sector, though collectively both industries employ less than thousand people or just over 2% of the City of Ballarat's total workforce.<ref>Ballarat Rural Land Use Strategy pg.31 http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923182004/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf |date=23 September 2015 }}</ref>

Ballarat rose to prominence as a goldrush boomtown, though gold no longer plays a pivotal role in the economy of the city. Nevertheless, deep underground mining continues to the present date with a single main mine operating. There are still thought to be large, undiscovered gold reserves in the Ballarat region, with investigations being made by local and national companies.<ref name="The Age 2010-02-20">{{cite news|last=Dobbin|first=Marika|url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/miners-still-search-for-a-cart-of-gold-20100219-oly6.html|title=Miners still search for a cart of gold|work=The Age|date=20 February 2010|access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref> [[Lihir Gold]] invested in Ballarat Goldfields in 2006,<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/10/17/1160850931304.html Lihir Gold to buy Ballarat for $350m] by Jamie Freed for The Age. 18 October 2006.</ref> however it downscaled its operations in 2009 due to the expense of extraction<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/business/200-jobs-lost-as-lihir-gold-quits-ballarat-20090721-ds31.html 200 jobs lost as Lihir Gold quits Ballarat] by Mathew Murphy for The Age. 22 July 2009.</ref> before selling its stake in 2010 to Castlemaine Goldfields.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topnews.in/lihir-gold-sells-ballarat-mine-castlemaine-2255447|title=Lihir Gold sells Ballarat mine to Castlemaine &#124; TopNews|publisher=Topnews.in|access-date=18 August 2010}}</ref> Along with gold, lignite (coal), kaolin (clay) and iron ore have also been mined in the Ballarat region and nearby [[Lal Lal]] however many of the resource deposits have since been exhausted. An active quarrying industry with large enterprises including [[Boral]] Limited<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boral.com.au/asphalt/new_ballarat_asphalt_plant.asp|title=Boral opens new state-of-the-art asphalt plant in Ballarat, Victoria|work=boral.com.au|access-date=29 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624014413/http://www.boral.com.au/asphalt/new_ballarat_asphalt_plant.asp|archive-date=24 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> extracts and manufactures building materials from the Ballarat region, including clays, aggregates, cements, asphalts.

Approximately half ({{convert|38000|ha|disp=or}}) of the municipality's area is rural with optimal conditions for agriculture including rich volcanic soils and climate.<ref name="ballarat.vic.gov.au"/> This area is used primarily for agriculture and animal husbandry and generates more than $37&nbsp;million in commodities.<ref>as at 2006 from http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923182004/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf |date=23 September 2015 }}</ref> The region supports an active potato growing industry that has supplied local food manufacturers including McCain, though more recently has been threatened by cheaper imports.<ref name="Courier 2014-02-04">{{cite news|last=McGrath|first=Gavin|url=http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2066774/mccain-foods-potato-growers-fixing-strained-relationship/|title=McCain Foods, potato growers fixing 'strained relationship'|work=The Courier|location=Ballarat|date=4 February 2014|access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref> Other large crops include grains, vegetables, grapes and berries. Cattle and poultry stocks, including sheep, cows and pigs, support an active local meat and dairy industry. The Ballarat Livestock Selling Centre is the largest cattle exchange in regional Victoria.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/livestock/cattle/ballarat-cattle-market-improves-in-tough-conditions/1447826.aspx|title=Ballarat cattle market improves in tough conditions – State News – Livestock – Cattle – Stock & Land|publisher=Sl.farmonline.com.au|date=2 March 2009|access-date=18 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706104558/http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/livestock/cattle/ballarat-cattle-market-improves-in-tough-conditions/1447826.aspx|archive-date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society formed in 1856<ref name="Ballarat Agricultural Society">{{cite web|url=http://ballaratshow.org.au/about_us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009202316/http://ballaratshow.org.au/about_us|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2010|title=About Us|access-date=9 May 2012|publisher=Ballarat Agricultural Society}}</ref> and has run the Ballarat Show annually since 1859.<ref>According to the Agricultural Society's website, the showgrounds site has been relocated since its inaugural year, it was relocated to Lake Wendouree in 1861 before the current site at Creswick Road was used from 1934</ref>

A$7.5&nbsp;million<ref>as at 2002 http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923182004/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/470869/rlus%20strategy_pb%20final.pdf |date=23 September 2015 }}</ref> forestry industry is active in nearby state forests as well as on a small scale in the urban area along the Canadian Valley around the suburbs of Mt Clear and Mt Helen areas with pine plantations and sawmill operations.<ref name="Canadian Valley Pines">{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/57458/explanatory%20report.pdf|title=Ballarat Planning Scheme Amendment C95 Explanatory Report|access-date=9 May 2012|work=City of Ballarat|publisher=ballarat.vic.gov.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224125101/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/57458/explanatory%20report.pdf|archive-date=24 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Renewable energy====
[[File:Waubra Wind Farm.jpg|thumb|Part of the Waubra Wind Farm]]
The Ballarat region has a rapidly growing renewable energy industry, in particular due to its abundant wind energy, attracting significant investment and generating revenue for local landholders and local councils. The region is also a source of bountiful geothermal energy,<ref name="geothermal">{{cite news|first=Erin|last=Williams|title=Ballarat region named a geothermal hotspot|date=14 July 2010|work=The Courier|url=http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-region-named-a-geothermal-hotspot/1884480.aspx|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref> solar power<ref name="geothermal" /> and biomass<ref name="Biomass 2010-10-20">{{cite news|first=Margaret|last=Burin|title=Biomass not sexy, but more viable than wind farms: bioenergy expert|date=20 October 2010|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/10/20/3043264.htm|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="Biomass Agribusiness 2012-05-09">{{cite web|url=http://www.chaf.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=134&Itemid=57|title=Central Highlands Bioenergy Scoping Study and Biomass Audit|access-date=9 May 2012|work=Central Highlands Agribusiness Forum|publisher=chaf.org.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324120058/http://www.chaf.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=134&Itemid=57|archive-date=24 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> although to date, only its wind, solar and hydroelectricity has been harvested commercially. All local commercially produced electricity is sent to the [[National Electricity Market]].

Wind energy is generated by local wind farms. The largest, [[Waubra Wind Farm]], completed in 2009, is capable of producing enough electricity to power a city 3 to 4 times the size of Ballarat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breaze.org.au/resources/documents/doc_view/356-ballarat-energy-use-a-emissions|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302082508/http://www.breaze.org.au/resources/documents/doc_view/356-ballarat-energy-use-a-emissions|title=Ballarat's Energy Use and Emissions – Stats & Facts.|work=Breaze.org.au|archive-date=2 March 2011}}</ref> Other significant nearby wind farms include [[Mount Mercer Wind Farm|Mount Mercer]], completed 2014, which produces enough energy to power 100,000 homes, equivalent to Ballarat's population.<ref name="Mount Mercer Wind Farm">{{cite web|url=http://mtmercerwindfarm.com.au/project-info/about-the-project-html|title=Mount Mercer Wind Farm – About the Project|access-date=9 May 2012|work=Mount Mercer Wind Farm Website|publisher=mtmercerwindfarm.com.au|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723161402/http://mtmercerwindfarm.com.au/project-info/about-the-project-html|archive-date=23 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Mount Mercer Wind Farm 2007-04-13">{{cite news|first=Cameron|last=Houston|title=Victorian community goes it alone on wind farm|date=13 April 2007|work=The Age|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ballarat-wind-farm-approved/2007/04/12/1175971264400.html|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref> The first community-owned wind farm in Australia, the [[Hepburn Wind Project]] at [[Leonards Hill, Victoria|Leonards Hill]], completed in 2011, produces the equivalent amount of electricity used by the town of [[Daylesford, Victoria|Daylesford]].<ref name="Hepburn Wind 2008-07-25">{{cite news|title=Victorian community goes it alone on wind farm|date=25 July 2008|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/25/2314235.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730005502/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/25/2314235.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 July 2008|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>

Hydroelectricity is generated at White Swan reservoir micro hydro plant established in 2008 and producing the equivalent electricity needs of around 370 homes.<ref name="CHW Hydro">{{cite web|url=http://www.chw.net.au/SUPER_PIPE/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=176|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305154550/http://www.chw.net.au/SUPER_PIPE/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=176|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 March 2011|title=Mini Hydro – Goldfields Superpipe Ballarat Link|access-date=25 April 2012|publisher=Central Highlands Water}}</ref> Ballarat Solar Park, opened in 2009 at the Airport site in Mitchell Park, is Victoria's first ground-mounted, flat-plate and grid-connected photovoltaic farm. Built by [[Sharp Corporation]] for [[Origin Energy]], it is {{convert|14993|sqm|abbr=on}} and generates the equivalent electricity needs of around 150 homes.<ref name="Solar Park 2009-11-27">{{cite news|first=Kim|last=Stephens|title=Solar park goes public|date=27 November 2009|work=The Courier|url=http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/solar-park-goes-public/1690422.aspx|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>