What makes Ballarat a really special place is that it has got that city feel, with all of the resources around being a city, but it’s also got a village feel, so you know that the people who are going to be looking after your kids are going to have similar values to you.

Living in Ballarat has given me more discretionary time to do whatever I want to do. It has meant as my kids were growing up I had more time to spend with them because my commute distance was only a kilometre away. It also has given me an opportunity to be more involved the community.

One of the special things about Ballarat is Education. It is one of the biggest employers in the region. We’ve got this unique arrangement whereby the relationship between the Government, Independent and Catholic Schools is very close. All of the schools get on well. There are lots of opportunities for both students and staff. On top of that, there are the two Universities, Australian Catholic University and Federation University. So there is a lot of choice, which is unique to our region.

We want to be nationally recognized as a world class school, so I think that is what makes us different. Our brand proposition is about excellence in everything we do. Our students and staff do extraordinary things.
The best thing about Ballarat is it is a regional city. We attract students from a semi-circle all the way down to Warrnambool, Mildura, Caroline Springs, Beaufort, Rokewood, the other side of Daylesford and of course locally. It is quite a drawing area where our students come from and it is growing.

Our students are country kids, so they understand they’ve got responsibilities of being part of their community. But they also get the benefits that that they feel connected to their community and an important sense of belonging.

The biggest challenge to maintain the quality of education is to recruit the highest quality staff we can get. One of the great things we think that we’ve got to offer is that we can attract a Teacher Graduate and train them much quicker than in Melbourne. We can provide leadership opportunities earlier and we can also provide them with more extensive training opportunities.

I think if there is one thing we could improve would be the speed of transport to Melbourne. Ballarat is becoming more and more a place that people want to come and live because the housing is affordable.
If I had one word to describe Ballarat, what would it be Vibrant. It’s a really good place to live. There’s lots going on all the time. Whether it be in sport. the Arts, Theatre, or Art Gallery. We’re very lucky.
If I had two pieces of advice to give to a family thinking of moving to Ballarat and its region it would be:

    1. Be clear in why you are coming
    2. Look around and make certain you pick where you want to live so that you are close to all the facilities

 


 

Story courtesy of More than Gold, an initiative of Committee for Ballarat.

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The City of Ballarat acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land we live and work on, the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung People, and recognises their continuing connection to the land and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.