Ballarat

Ballarat balla arat (Wathawurrung) Victoria
City centre Town Hall Post Office Ballarat station Craig's Royal Hotel
Ballarat
Coordinates	37°33′39″S 143°50′51″E / 37.56083°S 143.84750°E / -37.56083; 143.84750
Population	119,096 (2024) (19th)
• Density	346.61/km2 (897.72/sq mi)
Established	1838
Postcode(s)	3350
Elevation	435–630 m (1,427–2,067 ft) AHD
Area	343.6 km2 (132.7 sq mi)[1] (2016 census – SUA)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	110 km (68 mi) NW of Melbourne 82 km (51 mi) NW of Geelong 95 km (59 mi) SW of Bendigo
LGA(s)	City of Ballarat
Region	Grampians
State electorate(s)	Eureka Ripon Wendouree
Federal division(s)	Ballarat
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 17.4 °C 63 °F 7.1 °C 45 °F 688.7 mm 27.1 in

Ballarat (/ˌbæləˈræt/ bal-ə-RAT)^[2] (Wathawurrung: balla arat)^[3] is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. Ballarat has a population of 119,096^[4] as of March 2024 making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.

Within months of Victoria separating from the colony of New South Wales in 1851, gold was discovered near Ballarat, sparking the Victorian gold rush. Ballarat subsequently became a thriving boomtown that for a time rivalled Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, in terms of wealth and cultural influence. In 1854, following a period of civil disobedience in Ballarat over gold licenses, local miners launched an armed uprising against government forces. Known as the Eureka Rebellion, it led to the introduction of white male suffrage in Australia, and as such is interpreted as the origin of Australian democracy. The rebellion's symbol, the Eureka Flag, has become a national symbol.

Proclaimed a city on 9 September 1870,^[5] Ballarat's prosperity, unlike that of many other gold boomtowns, continued until the late 19th century, as the city's fields experienced sustained high gold yields for many decades. By the turn of the century, Ballarat's importance relative to Melbourne rapidly faded with the slowing of gold extraction. It has endured as a major regional centre and is the commercial capital and largest city of the Central Highlands, as well as a significant tourist destination. Ballarat is known for its history, culture and well-preserved colonial-era heritage, with much of the city subject to heritage overlays.