A Very Brief History of the City of Ballarat

Page 1 / City of Ballarat Roads & Open Space Index / Page 1

A Very Brief History of the City of Ballarat

The City of Ballarat is mostly situated in the northern part of Wathaurung Country, which covers an area very roughly bounded bypresent-day Werribee, Queenscliff, Aireys Inlet, Cressy, Streatham, Beaufort,Learmonthand Bacchus Marsh. The part of the City north of Learmonth is Dja Dja Wurrung Country. The City recognises the Wathaurung and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples as the original settlers and custodians of these lands.

In January 1838, Somerville and Thomas Learmonth, William Yuille, Henry Anderson and John Aitken set out from Corio to explore the area to the north-west, which included the present day City of Ballarat. By 1839, settlers had established a number of homesteads, as well as Victoria’s first inland settlement at Buninyong. The pastoral landscape was changed forever when gold was discovered near Buninyong and at Golden Point in August 1851. The rush that followed established Ballarat, which quickly became Victoria’s largest inland city.

The name Ballarat is derived from the Wathawurrung word Ballaarat(also written Balla-arat) andis generally accepted to mean elbow place or resting place.

Key Dates in Local Municipal History

INCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAME

Revised 5 January 2012

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18 December 1855

Municipality of Ballaarat created(note “aa” spelling)

7 October 1856

Ballarat District Roads Board created

5 May 1857

Municipality of Ballarat East created

9 July 1858

Buninyong District Roads Board created

15 April 1859

Borough of Buninyong created

1861 (exact date unknown)

Municipality of Smythesdale created

12 April 1861

Ripon District Roads Board created

24 June 1861

Municipality of Ballarat East became Township of Ballarat East

27 August 1861

Grenville District Roads Board created

1862 (exact date unknown)

Borough of Browns and Scarsdale created

16 January 1863

Bungaree District Roads Board created

21 October 1863

Municipality of Ballaarat became Borough of Ballarat (note change to single “a” spelling)
Township of Ballarat East became Borough of Ballarat East

24 November 1863

Ballarat District Roads Board became Shire of Ballarat

18 December 1863

Ripon District Roads Board became Shire of Ripon

16 February 1864

Buninyong District Roads Board became Shire of Buninyong
Grenville District Roads Board became Shire of Grenville

1 October 1864

Borough of Sebastopol created

1869 (exact date unknown)

Municipality of Smythesdale became Borough of Smythesdale

9 September 1870

Borough of Ballarat became City of Ballaarat (note return to “aa” spelling)

27 January 1871

Bungaree District Roads Board became Shire of Bungaree

19 August 1872

Borough of Ballarat East became Town of Ballarat East

1 October 1915

Borough of Buninyong amalgamated with Shire of Buninyong
Borough of Browns and Scarsdale and Borough of Smythesdale amalgamated with Shire of Grenville

25 May 1921

Town of Ballarat East amalgamated with City of Ballaarat

31 March 1930

Part of Shire of Bungaree (roughly bounded by Norman, Sherrard and Gregory Streets and Creswick Road) annexed to City of Ballaarat

6 May 1994

City of Ballarat (note single “a” spelling) created from former City of Ballaarat, Shire of Ballarat and Borough of Sebastopol, and parts of Shires of Bungaree, Buninyong, Grenville and Ripon

INCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAME

Revised 5 January 2012

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Many smaller changes to municipal boundaries have also occurred since 1855.

Origins of Names

Where known, the origin of names and year of naming are marked $:, althoughmany names were in use well before they became official. Conversely, names are allocated to roads in new estates well before construction. Where a roador other feature has been renamed and the former name is known,it is listed with a cross-reference to the current name and also markedunder the current name. Information should be used with caution, as roads, localities, features or facilities with similar names may have different origins, and different parts of the same roador locality may have been named (or renamed) at different times.

Known Aboriginal names are also shown under the current European name. These have been obtained from the Database of Aboriginal Placenames of Victoria (Ian D Clark & Toby Heydon, Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, 2002). The Aboriginal language is shown where possible, but if it is unknown or uncertain, it is simply shown as Aboriginal. Note that different names may apply to different parts of the same feature, even within the same language. Also, different spellings exist for many Aboriginal words, including language, tribal and clan groups: this index uses the spellings shown in the Database.

To aid future research, Council naming proposal (NP-) and Vicnames (Land Victoria) file (GPN-)numbers (where applicable) are shown after source details for roads and other features named or renamed by the City since commencement of the Geographic Place Names Act in December 1998. If known, Victoria Government Gazettereferences(year and page, eg:Gaz.1935 p.3302) are shown for names assigned before that date.

Details come from written and oral records of varying reliability. Verified information is identified by a naming proposal file number or the @ symbol, while a question mark indicates a known uncertainty. (An@ beside a name itself indicates that the spelling of the name has been verified.) Please contact Council staff if you can add, verify or correct details. While such information is always appreciated, it is not practicable to credit specific sources in this index.

Anyone seeking more information than is given in this index should contactlocal historical societies or the

Australiana Research Room, Ballarat Library, 178 Doveton Street North, Ballarat Central 3350 (phone 5331 1211).

The library’s collection includes a wide range of historical records, including early rates books, and staff can provide help with research.

Historical Property (House) Numbers

Council often receives enquiries from people trying to identify properties occupied by forebears. Block renumbering of Ballarat’s urbanroadsis believed to have begun around the early 1900s and is known to have continued into the 1970s. In some places, a second renumbering occurred when large properties were subdivided. Council’s records don’t show the relationship between original and present-day numbers, although it’s sometimes possible to identify properties that were renumbered towards the end of the process (but not the date when renumbering occurred.)

The Ballarat Library has microfilm copies of early rates books, listing properties (with ratepayers’ names and sometimes occupations) in order along each road. Intersecting roads are usually noted, soit is often possible to locate a particular property by counting the number of properties from the intersection, making allowance for any development that has occurred in the intervening years. (It is a good idea to count from both ends of the block if possible, to minimise the risk of error resulting from more recent development.) While this won’t guarantee that the correct property will be found, it will at least usually narrow it down to a few properties.

Some roads have never been block numbered and, with a few exceptions here and there, the original numbers arestill in use.

Road Names in Subdivisions and Unit Developments

Names of all roadsin new subdivisions and common property driveways in unit developments require Council approval. Developers areencouraged to discuss road names for proposed subdivisions at an early stage. Approved names are added to this index, to ensure they are “reserved” for that development, and to minimise the risk of inadvertently approving the same or a similar name for another subdivision. These names are marked propand, where possible, map references are given, but if the location is unclear the name is marked TBA.

Estate names used for promotional purposes don’t require Council approval, but must not imply that theyare (or may become) the suburb name. Ideally, all such names should include the word Estate.

Roads in Adjoining Municipalities

New road names must not duplicate or be similar to names of existing roads and must be checked for duplication within a 30 km radius. Some roads in nearby areas are listed with the name of the respective municipality, but this index makes no attempt to list all roads within the 30 km radius. Roadsthat are beyond the extent of the maps are marked by the symbol %. The City of Ballarat cannot guarantee the accuracy of these names – the appropriate municipality should be contacted if confirmation is needed.

Enquiries concerning road, feature and facility names or naming processes should be directed to

Council’s Place Names Officer, Ron Woods (phone 03 5320 5763 or email: )

Abbreviations and Symbols

Locality names and their abbreviations used in this index are shown on pages3 and 4.

The index shows the Council Wards effective from November2008:C Central WardN North WardS South Ward

Column "A" in the index indicates the main authority responsible for maintenance of the road, reserve, etc. (The authority responsible after construction is shown for proposed roads.) This is only a guide, as on many roads responsibility is shared, and may change in response to road hierarchy and legislative changes. Authorities are identified by letters as follows:

B BallaratCityC Crown*G Golden Plains ShireH HepburnShireM Moorabool Shire

P Pyrenees ShireS A&P SocietyU Universityof BallaratV VicRoads†X Private

* Crown includes all federal and state government departments except VicRoads

† Ballarat City is usually responsible for service roads, parking lanes, naturestrips and footpath areas on these roads

The following symbols are used throughout the index:

< before this date© approximate date previous name$: source of name see entry

% beyond maps? unknown/uncertain Gaz Government Gazette@ spelling or origin of name confirmed

NP Council naming proposal file numberGPN LandVictoria naming proposal file number

Locality and road names (including those in private developments) are listed in normal text

Other features and facilities are listed in italics

Locality Names, Postcodes and Abbreviations

Boundaries and names of most localities within the City of Ballarat were defined in 1998, although subsequent changes have occurred. Old localities were not well-defined, but are listed with references to the present-day localities in which they are generally believed to lie.

Only names shown in bold are current official locality names within the City of Ballarat.

* official locality name, but not within the City of Ballarat † not an official name ∞ an official “neighbourhood” (not locality) name

Except for mail addressed to specific Post Offices (as noted), names marked † or ∞ must NOT be used as postal addresses

INCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAME

Revised 5 January 2012

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Addington 3352– ADGN

$:parish, after W L Addington, (Viscount Sidmouth) (bdy chg: NP-054, NP-164, NP-165, NP-165A)

Alfredton 3350– ALFN

$:Prince Alfred (bdy chg: NP-008, GPN-273, NP-138)

Ascot 3364– ASCT

$:parish (bdy chg: NP-047, NP-049, NP-162) (east of Gillies RdCreswick)

Bakery Hill 3350– BKYH

$:Bakery Hill lead

Bakery Hill Post Office 3354

Bald Hills 3364– BLDH

$:treeless hills (bdy chg: NP-049)

Ballarat ∞–- BALT

> Ballarat Central $:Wathawurrung: ballarat/ballaarat – resting/elbow place There is no suburb or locality named Ballarat:this nameshouldonly be used forthe railway station, the urban area as a whole and mail addressed to PO Boxes at:

Ballarat Post Office3353

Ballarat Mail Centre 3354

Ballarat Central 3350– BCEN

Ballarat East 3350– BEST

Ballarat North 3350– BNTH

Ballarat North (railway station) †

Ballarat Central; Soldiers Hill

Ballarat South ∞

Ballarat Central; Redan

Ballarat West †

Ballarat Central

Ballarat West Post Office 3350

Black Hill 3350– BLKH

Black Hill Flat †

> Ballarat East $:at foot of Black Hill

Black Lead †

Cambrian Hill; Magpie

Blowhard 3352– BLWD

$:windy location (bdy chg: NP-049, NP-161, NP-162)

Bonshaw– BSHW

$:nearby station & mine, place in Scotland

Bo Peep 3351– BOPP

(bdy chg: NP-159)

Brown Hill 3350– BRNH

$:corruption of Brownbill’s Diggings, from gold discoverer (bdy chg: NP-157, NP-158)

Browns Water Holes †

Bonshaw

Buninyong 3357– BYNG

$:from nearby mount – see Mount Buninyong in main index

Bunkers Hill 3352– BUNH

Kopke; Trunk Lead (bdy chg: NP-044)

Burrumbeet 3352– BMBT

$:1843: Wathawurrung: burrumbeet – muddy waterBorrumbeet (bdy chg: NP-159, NP-165, NP-165A)

Butts †

Canadian $: near rifle range/butts

Cabbage Tree 3364 * – CTRE

Cambrian Hill 3352 * – CMBH

(east of Yarrowee River, Magpie)

Canadian 3350– CNAD

$:man called Canadian Swift

Cardigan 3352– CDGN

$:Lord Cardigan, Crimean war

Cardigan Village 3352 – CVIL

$:residential subdivision

Carngham 3351 * – CGHM

$:1838: Wathawurrung: karrungum – home, hunting ground (bdy chg: NP-178)

Cattle Station Hill †

Glendonald

Chapel Flat 3352– CHPF

Cherry Tree †

Bonshaw

Clarendon 3352 * – CLDN

Clarkes Hill 3352 * – CLKH

Clunes 3370 * – CLNS

$:farm at Inverness, Scotland

Cobblers †

Bonshaw

Coghills Creek 3364– COGC

$:early settler(bdy chg NP-049, NP-054, NP-161)

College Hill †

Mount Helen

Cornish Row †

Sebastopol

Cornish Town †

Magpie

Creswick 3363– CRWK

$:© 1842: early settlers. Kulin: calembeen – meaning uncertain 2004 NP-047:bdy chg part of Ascot

Creswick North 3363 * – CWKN

Delacombe 3356– DCMB

$:1977 (in use by late 1960s?): State Governor Guncotton

Delacombe Heights †

> Bunkers Hill; Smythes Creek

$:rural residential estate

Dowling †

> Cardigan; Mitchell Park $:near Dowling Forest

Dowling Forest †

> Miners Rest $:Mrs W Clarke’s maiden name

Dunnstown 3352 * – DNTN

$:Robert Dunn, distiller

Durham Lead 3352– DRML

Ercildoune 3352– ERCN

$:Scottish keep. Spelt Ercildoun by original settlers. Djadjawurrung: windyilert-krotang– meaning uncertain (bdy chg: NP-165, NP-165A)

Eureka 3350– ERKA

$:Eureka lead (Greek: “eureka” – I found it!)

Evansford 3371 * – EVFD

Fellmongers †

> Gong Gong $:site of skin dealers

Garibaldi 3352 * – GBLD

$:Italian patriot

Glencoe †

Buninyong

Glendaruel 3363– GDAR

$:parish(bdy chg: NP-054)

Glendonald 3364– GDON

$:former village and nearby creek. Spelling amended 2009Glendonnell

Glen Park 3352– GLPK

(bdy chg: NP-116)

Golden Point 3350– GNPT

$:discovery of gold

Gong Gong 3352– GGNG

$:Wiradjuri (NSW): gang gang –cockatoo Fellmongers

Grahams Hill †

Ascot; Creswick

Green Hill †

Mount Helen

Gum Trees †

Buninyong

Guncotton †

> Delacombe $:WW2 munitions factory

Haddon 3351 * – HADN

$:discoverer of gold

Invermay 3352– INMY

(bdy chg: NP-058)

Invermay Park 3350– INPK

$: Invermay,large residential estate, cut off from the rest of Invermay by Western Freeway

Irish Town/Irishtown †

Buninyong

Kopke ∞

> Bunkers Hill $:early settler

Lake Gardens 3355– LGDN

$:2000 NP-008, GPN-273: large residential estateon former Lakeside Hospital site parts Alfredton, Lake Wendouree (bdy chg: 2008 NP-138)

Lake Wendouree 3350 – LWND

$: area surrounding lake – see Lake Wendouree in main index (bdy chg: NP-008, GPN-273)

Lal Lal 3352 * – LLAL

$: Wathawurrung: lal-lal – dashing of waters (one of 3 Aboriginal names for Lal Lal Falls)

Learmonth 3352– LMTH

$:1838: early settlers (bdy chg: NP-049, NP-054, NP-163, NP-164)

Leigh Creek 3352 * – LECK

$:near Leigh (Yarrowee) River Wathawurrung: wahwilcurtan – meaning uncertain

Levy †

> Ballarat East $:Ballarat East councillor

Little Bendigo †

> Nerrina

Long Point †

> Ascot; Creswick

Lucas– LCAS

$: 2010 the “Lucas Girls” who created Ballarat Avenue of Honour (NP-178  pt Cardigan)

INCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAME

Revised 5 January 2012

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Locality Names, Postcodes and Abbreviations – continued

Only names shown in bold are current official locality names within the City of Ballarat.

* official locality name, but not within the City of Ballarat † not an official locality name ∞ an official “neighbourhood” (not locality) name

Except for mail addressed to Ballarat Post Office (as noted), names marked † or ∞ must not be used as postal addresses.

INCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAME

Revised 5 January 2012

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Madmans Flat †

Canadian

Magpie 3352– MPIE

Midas †

> Miners Rest $:mine

Miners Rest 3352– MRST

$: resting place for miners en route to goldfields(bdy chg: NP-049) Wathawurrung: drawall – meaning uncertain, or Drawill – stony or native turkey – also see Burrumbeet Creek in main index

Mitchell Park 3352 (rural areas)– MLPK

Mitchell Park 3355 (urban area)– MLPK

$:former Ballarat Shire secretary (bdy chg: NP-160, prop bdy chg: NP-167)

Mount Beckworth 3363 * – MTBW

$:nearby hill– see Mount Beckworth in main index

Mount Bolton 3352– MTBO

$:nearby hill – see Mount Bolton in main index (bdy chg: NP-054)

Mount Clear 3350– MTCL

$:nearby hill (bdy chg: NP-156)

Mount Helen 3350– MTHE

$:nearby hill (bdy chg: NP-156)

Mount Pleasant 3350– MTPT

$: nearby hillWathawurrung: portilla – meaning uncertain

Mount Rowan 3352– MTRN

$:nearby hill

Napoleons 3352 * – NPLN

Navigators 3352 * – NGTR

$:Navigator’s Inn, sailor’s shanty

Nerrina 3350– NRNA

Little Bendigo (bdy chg: NP-058, NP-116, NP-158)

Newington 3350– NWGN

$:mining company

Pisgah †

> Bald Hills; Blowhard; Miners Rest

$:see Mount Pisgah in main index

Pootilla 3352 * – PTLA

Pound Hill †

> Miners Rest; Windermere $:former pound

Poverty Point †

Golden Point

Redan 3350–REDN

$:Crimean war battle

Reid †

> Mount Clear; Mount Helen $:David Reid, settler