Editing Ballarat (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Mount Warrenheip Victoria.jpg|thumb|right|Ballarat's skyline is hidden from this view of the city looking east across Lake Wendouree to Mount Warrenheip.]]
[[File:Warrenheip from Dawson St.png|thumb|Mount Warrenheip dominating the skyline from Dawson Street, with the town hall clock tower on the right.]]
Ballarat lies at the foothills of the [[Great Dividing Range]] in Central Western Victoria. Also known as the [[Central Highlands (Victoria)|Central Highlands]], it is named so because of its elevated position and moderate hills and terrain with a lack of any alpine mountains that are situated a few hundred kilometres NE. The city lies within a mostly gently undulating section of the midland volcanic plains which stretch from Creswick in the north, to Rokewood in the south, and from Lal Lal in the south-east to Pittong in the west.

Geologically, the area consists of alluvial sediment and volcanic flows originating from now-extinct volcanoes such as nearby Buninyong (750m, 2460&nbsp;ft) and Warrenheip (746m, 2446&nbsp;ft), which are the area's tallest peaks. As a result, the basin contains large areas of fertile agricultural soil.<ref>City of Ballarat (Maps, Population & Location – http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/Global/Maps/index.aspx) {{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Ballarat itself is situated on an alluvial basin of the Yarrowee catchment and its tributary creeks, penetrated by sub-ranges of schists composed of granites and quartz. Along with the visible river and creeks, the catchment basin has numerous active and inactive aquifers and natural wetlands, which are used for urban water supply, agriculture and recreation.

There are numerous densely forested areas around Ballarat; however due to historic wood milling and land clearing there remain no old-growth forests. The major natural bodies of water are in the west and include the former shallow swamps of [[Lake Wendouree]] which is central to the city's western suburbs and beyond Winter's Swamp and the large [[Lake Burrumbeet]] wetland complex. Almost all of the other numerous bodies of water have been created artificially and include several reservoirs, the largest being the White Swan Reservoir and smaller suburban lakes such as Lake Esmond.

The contiguous urban area of Ballarat covers approximately {{convert|90|km2|0|abbr=on}} of the local government area's {{convert|740|km2|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Land Use">{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/550102/bps_c151_clause_21_04_final.pdf|title=Ballarat Planning Scheme – Land Use|access-date=14 May 2012|date=18 March 2010|work=City of Ballarat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420101928/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/550102/bps_c151_clause_21_04_final.pdf|archive-date=20 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Approximately 90% of the urban area's land use is residential and suburban.<ref name="Land Use"/> From the city centre this area extends approximately {{convert|6|km|0|abbr=off}} north to the hills around Invermay, approximately {{convert|7.5|km|1|abbr=on}} east to Leigh Creek in the foothills of Mount Warrenheip, approximately {{convert|7|km|0|abbr=on}} west along the plains to Lucas and approximately {{convert|8.5|km|1|abbr=on}} south along the Yarrowee River and Canadian Creek valley to the fringe of Buninyong.<ref name="HIS 2011-10"/> The central city is situated low in the valley of the Yarrowee River and surrounded by hills such that the city skyline is visible only from the hills and the lower lying inner eastern suburbs. The reach of the Yarrowee River toward Ballarat Central becomes a stormwater drain and is completely covered over as it flows under the CBD.

===Urban structure===
{{see also|Ballarat Central}}
[[File:Australia Victoria Ballarat City location map.svg|thumb|Map of the urban area (grey) and the extent of the municipal area]]
The city is home to nationally significant heritage structures. These include the [[Ballarat Botanical Gardens]] (established 1857),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nattrust.com.au/trust_register/search_the_register/ballarat_botanic_gardens|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323074402/http://www.nattrust.com.au/trust_register/search_the_register/ballarat_botanic_gardens|title=BALLARAT BOTANIC GARDENS|work=National Trust of Australia (Victoria)Nattrust.com.au.|archive-date=23 March 2012}}</ref> with the greatest concentration of public statuary,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cometolifeballarat.com/visit/experience-ballarat/lakes,-parks-and-gardens/ballarat-botanical-gardens.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325193004/http://www.cometolifeballarat.com/visit/experience-ballarat/lakes%2C-parks-and-gardens/ballarat-botanical-gardens.aspx|archive-date=25 March 2012|title=Balarat Public Gardens|url-status=dead}}</ref> the official [[Prime Ministers Avenue]], the longest running lyric theatre building (Her Majesty's Theatre, established 1875),<ref name="ReferenceA">''Her Maj: A History of Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat'' by Peter Freund with Val Sarah {{ISBN|978-0-9757483-1-2}}.</ref> the first municipal observatory, established 1886,<ref>[http://observatory.ballarat.net/ Ballaarat Astronomical Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724201611/http://observatory.ballarat.net/ |date=24 July 2011 }}. Observatory.ballarat.net. Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref> and the earliest and longest war memorial avenue (the [[Avenue of Honour]], established between 1917 and 1919).<ref>[http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1 Monuments and Memorials within Australia associated with World War One]. Monumentaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref>

Ballarat is a primarily low-rise city. The City of Ballarat defines two [[activity centre|Major Activity Centre]]s within the urban area – the Central Business District (CBD) and Wendouree with a high concentration of business, retail and community function based primarily on the [[Melbourne 2030]] planning model and a further 11 neighbourhood activity centres.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/991206/ballarat_c151_panel_report.pdf|title=Ballarat Panel Report|access-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317222144/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/991206/ballarat_c151_panel_report.pdf|archive-date=17 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The tallest building in urban Ballarat is the seven-storey Henry Bolte wing of the Ballarat Base Hospital (1994). Beyond the central area, urban Ballarat extends into several suburban areas with a mixture of housing styles. Predominant styles are 19th-century villas, Victorian terraces,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.australianterrace.com/terraced-houses-in/victoria/ballarat/|title=Ballarat|work=Australian Terrace Houses|access-date=22 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529172500/http://www.australianterrace.com/terraced-houses-in/victoria/ballarat/|archive-date=29 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Federation homes and [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] red brick homes. Settlement patterns around Ballarat consist of small villages and country towns, some with less than a few thousand people.

The central business district (located in [[Ballarat Central]]) is a large mixed-use office and retail district bounded to the north by railway lines, to the west by Drummond Street, to the south to Grant Street and to the east by Princes Street and spanning the floodplain of the Yarrowee River. Lydiard, Sturt Streets, Armstrong, Doveton, Dana Street and Bridge Street (known as Bridge Mall) along with the historic centre of East Ballarat—Main Street and Bakery Hill have retained stands of commercial and civic buildings of state and national heritage significance.

The inner established suburbs were initially laid out around the key mining areas and include [[Ballarat East, Victoria|Ballarat East]], [[Bakery Hill, Victoria|Bakery Hill]], [[Golden Point, Victoria|Golden Point]], [[Soldiers Hill, Victoria|Soldiers Hill]], [[Black Hill, Ballarat|Black Hill]], [[Brown Hill, Victoria|Brown Hill]], [[Eureka, Victoria|Eureka]], [[Canadian, Victoria|Canadian]], [[Mount Pleasant, Victoria|Mount Pleasant]], [[Redan, Victoria|Redan]], [[Sebastopol, Victoria|Sebastopol]] and [[Newington, Victoria|Newington]].

The post gold rush era has seen a boom in expansion, extending the [[conurbation]] north, south and west. To the west, Ballarat has expanded West to [[Lucas, Victoria|Lucas]], [[Alfredton, Victoria|Alfredton]], [[Delacombe, Victoria|Delacombe]] To The North West [[Wendouree, Victoria|Wendouree]], Wendouree West and [[Miners Rest, Victoria|Miners Rest]] To the north it has expanded to [[Ballarat North, Victoria|Ballarat North]], [[Invermay Park, Victoria|Invermay Park]],<ref name="id.com.au">{{cite web|url=http://profile.id.com.au/ballarat/about?WebID=130|title=About the profile areas – Ballarat North – Invermay Park – profile.id|work=id.com.au|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-date=24 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024022919/http://profile.id.com.au/ballarat/about?WebID=130|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Invermay, Victoria]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whereis.com/vic/invermay-3352|title=Map of Invermay, VIC 3352 – Whereis®|work=whereis.com}}</ref> Invermay and [[Nerrina, Victoria|Nerrina]]; to the east to [[Warrenheip, Victoria|Warrenheip]] and south to [[Sebastopol, Victoria|Sebastopol]], [[Mount Clear, Victoria|Mount Clear]] and [[Mount Helen, Victoria|Mount Helen]] with the urban area encroaching the large town of [[Buninyong, Victoria|Buninyong]].

Wendouree is currently the only major suburban activity centre with a large indoor shopping mall—Stockland Shopping Centre (expanded in 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stockland.com.au/assets/shopping-centres_vic/DEV24467_WEN_FlashTower.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706112544/http://www.stockland.com.au/assets/shopping-centres_vic/DEV24467_WEN_FlashTower.pdf|title=STOCKLAND WENDOUREE SHOPPING CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT|archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref>) and also has a number of surrounding retail parks including a strip shopping centre along Howitt Street including the large retail chain [[Harvey Norman]]. Elsewhere are small suburban hubs with supermarkets such as [[IGA (supermarkets)]] and small stretches of shopfronts.

Unlike Melbourne, Ballarat does not have a defined [[urban growth boundary]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/melbourne2030online/content/policies_initiatives/02a_policy21.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040205194600/http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/melbourne2030online/content/policies_initiatives/02a_policy21.html|title=Establish an urban growth boundary to set clear limits to metropolitan Melbourne's outward development|archive-date=5 February 2004}}</ref> This has put continuing pressure on the city council to approve development applications for subdivisions outside of the city fringe. In response to lobbying by landholders, the Ballarat West Growth Area Plan, a major greenfield land development plan, was prepared and has approved by the city and state government to allow for planned fringe communities consisting of 14,000 new homes and up to 40,000 new residents, effectively doubling the city's urban area by extending the urban sprawl from Sebastopol, Delacombe and Alfredton west toward [[Bonshaw, Victoria|Bonshaw]], [[Smythes Creek, Victoria|Smythes Creek]] and [[Cardigan, Victoria|Cardigan]]<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name=autogenerated1/> with a new suburb to be known as [[Lucas, Victoria|Lucas]] to be created.<ref>Henderson, Fiona [http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-west-suburb-to-be-named-lucas/2071841.aspx Ballarat west suburb to be named Lucas] The Courier 10 February 2011.</ref> New activity centres have been developed at Delacombe and Alfredton.

===Architecture===
[[File:Lydiard Street South.JPG|thumb|Victorian era buildings]]
Ballarat is renowned for its Victorian architectural heritage. In 2003 Ballarat was the first of two Australian cities to be registered as a member of the International League of Historical Cities and in 2006 hosted the 10th World [[League of Historical Cities]] Congress.<ref>[http://www.leaguehistoricalcities-ballarat.com/ League of Historical Cities Conference 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415194813/http://www.leaguehistoricalcities-ballarat.com/ |date=15 April 2011 }}. Leaguehistoricalcities-ballarat.com. Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref> The city's history is a major focus of the [[Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History]], part of [[Federation University Australia]], and is located at old [[Ballarat Gaol]].

The legacy of the wealth generated during Ballarat's gold boom is still visible in a large number of fine stone buildings in and around the city, especially in the Lydiard Street area. This precinct contains some of Victoria's finest examples of [[Victorian era]] buildings, many of which are on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]] or classified by the [[National Trust of Australia]]. Notable civic buildings include the Town Hall (1870–72), the former Post Office (1864), the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery (1887), the [[Mechanics' Institutes|Mechanics' Institute]] (1860, 1869), the Queen Victoria Wards of the Ballarat Base Hospital (1890s) and the [[Ballarat railway station]] (1862, 1877, 1888). Other historic buildings include the Provincial Hotel (1909), Reid's [[Coffee Palace]] (1886), Craig's Royal Hotel (1862–1890) and Her Majesty's Theatre (1875), the oldest intact and operating lyric theatre in Australia<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and Ballarat Fire Station (1864, 1911) one of Victoria's oldest fire fighting structures<ref>{{cite news|title=The Tower|work=Royal Auto|date=May 2010|page=7|author=Brown, Jenny|publisher=RACV Public Affairs}}</ref> and the Jewish synagogue (1861) the oldest surviving synagogue on the Australian mainland.<ref>[http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/admin/file/content2/c7/ballarat_synagogue.pdf Heritage Victoria – Ballarat Synagogue] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018082843/http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/admin/file/content2/c7/ballarat_synagogue.pdf |date=18 October 2009 }}. (PDF). Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref>

[[File:VictorianBuilding0003.jpg|thumb|Streetscape with the former Post Office at the rear]]
[[File:BallaratEastFireBrigade.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ballarat East Fire Station]], the oldest continually operating fire station in the Southern Hemisphere, and the site of the first operational telephone, made by [[Henry Sutton (inventor)|Henry Sutton]].]]
Restoration of historic buildings is encouraged including a low interest council Heritage Loans Scheme.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/heritage/help--advice-for-owners-of-heritage-places-in-ballarat/heritage-restoration-loan.aspx|title=Heritage Restoration Loan|publisher=Ballarat.vic.gov.au|date=1 June 2010|access-date=18 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022015246/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/heritage/help--advice-for-owners-of-heritage-places-in-ballarat/heritage-restoration-loan.aspx|archive-date=22 October 2010}}</ref> and the prevention of demolition by neglect discouraged by council policies.<ref>[http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-city-council-plan-to-preserve-heritage/1813142.aspx Ballarat City Council Plan to Preserve Heritage] by Marcus Power for The Courier. 26 April 2010.</ref> Since the 1970s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/building-and-planning/statutory-planning/heritage-protection.aspx|title=Heritage Protection|publisher=Ballarat.vic.gov.au|date=1 June 2010|access-date=18 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324070646/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/building-and-planning/statutory-planning/heritage-protection.aspx|archive-date=24 March 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> the local council has become increasingly aware of the economic and social value of heritage preservation.<ref>[http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/strategy/pubs/economics-value-ballarat.pdf The Economics of Heritage – The value of heritage to the City of Ballarat] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317064908/http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/strategy/pubs/economics-value-ballarat.pdf |date=17 March 2011 }} from environment.gov.au</ref> This is in stark contrast to the 1950s and 60s when Ballarat followed Melbourne in encouraging the removal of Victorian buildings, verandahs in particular. Recent restoration projects funded by the Ballarat include the reconstruction of significant cast iron lace verandahs including the Mining Exchange, Art Gallery (2007), Mechanics institute (2005–)<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/955cbeae7df9460dca256c8c00152d2b/d9871d74f940d93cca2570b100826472!OpenDocument|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111195400/http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/955cbeae7df9460dca256c8c00152d2b/d9871d74f940d93cca2570b100826472%21OpenDocument|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2012|title=Ballaarat Mechanics Institute to get $1.5 Million Restoration|publisher=Legislation.vic.gov.au|date=4 November 2005|access-date=18 August 2010}}</ref> on Lydiard Street and in 2010 the restoration of the Town Hall and the long neglected Unicorn Hotel façade on Sturt Street.<ref>[http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/restoration-work-to-start-at-unicorn-hotel-after-permits-approved/1471127.aspx Restoration work to start at Unicorn Hotel after permits approved] by Marcus Power for The Courier. 27 March 2009.</ref>

Ballarat Citizens for Thoughtful Development formed in 1998 and was incorporated as Ballarat Heritage Watch in 2005 to ensure that the city's architectural heritage is given due consideration in the planning process.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballaratheritagewatch.wordpress.com/|title=Ballarat Heritage Watch|publisher=Ballaratheritagewatch.wordpress.com|access-date=18 August 2010}}</ref>

The [[Ballarat Botanical Gardens]] (established in 1858) are recognised as the finest example of a regional botanical gardens in Australia and are home to many heritage listed exotic tree species and feature a modern glasshouse and horticultural centre and the [[Prime Ministers Avenue]] which features bronze busts of every past Australian Prime Minister.

Ballarat is notable for its very wide boulevards. The main street is Sturt Street with over {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=off}} of central gardens known as the [[Sturt Street Gardens]] featuring bandstands, fountains, statues, monuments, memorials and lampposts. Ballarat is home to the largest of a collection of [[Avenue of honour|Avenues of Honour]] in Victoria. The {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=off|adj=mid|-long}} Ballarat Avenue of Honour consists of a total of approximately 4,000 trees, mostly [[deciduous]] which in many parts arch completely over the road. Each tree has a bronze plaque dedicated to a soldier from the Ballarat region who enlisted during World War I. The Avenue of Honour and the Arch of Victory are on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]] and are seen by approximately 20,000 visitors each year.

The city also has the greatest concentration of public statuary in any Australian city with many parks and streets featuring sculptures and statues dating from the 1860s to the present. Some of the other notable memorials located in the [[Sturt Street Gardens]] in the middle of Ballarat's main boulevard include a bandstand situated in the heart of the city that was funded and built by the City of Ballarat Band in 1913 as a tribute to the bandsmen of the {{RMS|Titanic}}, a fountain dedicated to the early explorers [[Burke and Wills]], and those dedicated to monarchs and those who have played pivotal roles in the development of the city and its rich social fabric. These include, [[Robert Burns]], [[Peter Lalor]], [[Sir Albert Coates]], [[Harold Elliott (Australian Army officer)|Harold "Pompey" Elliott]], [[William Dunstan]], King [[George V]], [[Queen Victoria]] and more.

Ballarat has an extensive array of significant war memorials, the most recent of which is the Australian [[Ex Prisoner of War Memorial]]. The most prominent memorial in the city is the Ballarat [[Triumphal Arch|Victory Arch]] that spans the old Western Highway on the Western approaches of the city. The archway serves as the focal point for the Avenue of Honour. Other significant individual monuments located along Sturt Street include those dedicated to the Boer War (1899–1901), the World War II (1939–1945) cenotaph, and Vietnam (1962–1972) (located adjacent to the Arch of Victory).