C I T Y O F B A L L A R A TR O A D S & O P E N S P A C E I N D E XEvery reasonable effort has been made to ensure this index is accurateand up-to-date, but no guarantee can be given as to its accuracy. Roadsand features listed may not be shown on maps or exist on the ground–also please see the notes on page 2.Map references shown are for the City’s Roads & Open Spacemaps, which are intended for staff use only.This index is not a substitute for the City of Ballarat’s Road RegistryINCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAMERevised 15 April 2020A Very Brief History of the City of BallaratThe City of Ballarat is mostly situated in the northern part of WathaurungCountry, 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(alsowritten Balla-arat) andis generally accepted to mean elbowplaceor resting place.Key Dates in Local Municipal History18 December 1855Municipality of Ballaarat created(note “aa” spelling)7October 1856Ballarat District Roads Board created5 May 1857Municipality of Ballarat East created9 July 1858Buninyong District Roads Board created15 April 1859Borough of Buninyong created1861 (exact date unknown)Municipality of Smythesdale created12 April 1861Ripon District Roads Board created24 June 1861Municipality of Ballarat East became Township of Ballarat East27 August 1861Grenville District Roads Board created1862 (exact date unknown)Borough of Browns and Scarsdale created16 January1863Bungaree District Roads Board created21 October 1863Municipality of Ballaarat became Borough of Ballarat (note change to single “a” spelling)Township of Ballarat East became Borough of Ballarat East24 November 1863Ballarat District Roads Board became Shire of Ballarat18 December 1863Ripon District Roads Board became Shire of Ripon16 February 1864Buninyong District Roads Board became Shire of BuninyongGrenville District Roads Board became Shire of Grenville1 October 1864Borough of Sebastopol created1869 (exact date unknown)Municipality of Smythesdale became Borough of Smythesdale9 September 1870Borough of Ballarat became City of Ballaarat (note return to “aa” spelling)27 January 1871Bungaree District Roads Board became Shire of Bungaree19 August 1872Borough of Ballarat East became Town of Ballarat East1 October 1915Borough of Buninyong amalgamated with Shire of BuninyongBorough of Browns and Scarsdale and Borough of Smythesdale amalgamated with Shire of Grenville25 May 1921Town of Ballarat East amalgamated with City of Ballaarat31 March 1930Part of Shire of Bungaree (roughly bounded by Norman, Sherrard and Gregory Streets and Creswick Road) annexed to City of Ballaarat6 May 1994City of Ballarat (note single “a” spelling) created fromformer City of Ballaarat, Shire of Ballarat and Borough of Sebastopol, and parts of Shires of Bungaree, Buninyong, Grenville and RiponMany smallerchanges to municipal boundaries have also occurredsince 1855.
Page 2City of Ballarat Roads & Open Space IndexPage 2INCLUSION OF ANY NAME IN THIS INDEX DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFY OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF THAT NAMERevised 15 April 2020Origins of NamesWhere known, the originof names and year of naming are marked $:, althoughmany names were in use well before they became official. Conversely, names areallocated to roads in new estates well before construction. Where a roador other feature has been renamedand the former name is known,it islisted with a cross-reference to the current name and also markedunder the current name. Information should be used with caution, as roads, localities, features or facilities with similar names may have different origins, anddifferent parts of the same roador locality may have been named (or renamed) at different times.Known Aboriginal names are also shownunder 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 shownwhere possible, butif itis unknown or uncertain, it issimply shownas Aboriginal. Note that different names may apply to different parts of the same feature, even within the same language.Also, different spellings exist for manyAboriginal 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 sourcedetails for roadsand otherfeatures named or renamedby the City since commencement of the Geographic Place Names Act in December 1998.Ifknown, 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 recordsof 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 nameitselfindicates 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 ortheAustraliana Research Room, Ballarat Library, 178Doveton Street North, Ballarat Central3350 (phone 5331 1211).The library’s collection includesa wide range of historical records, including early rates books, and staff can provide help with research.Historical Property (House) NumbersCouncil oftenreceives enquiriesfrompeople trying to identify properties occupied by forebears. Block renumbering of Ballarat’s urbanroadsis believed to have begun aroundthe early 1900s and is known to have continued into the 1970s. In some places, a second renumbering occurredwhenlarge properties were subdivided. Council’s records don’t show the relationship between original andpresent-day numbers, although it’ssometimespossible toidentify properties that were renumbered towards the end of the process(but not the date when renumbering occurred.)The Ballarat Library hasmicrofilm copies of early ratesbooks, listingproperties (with ratepayers’namesand sometimes occupations) in order along each road. Intersecting roadsare usually noted, soit is often possible to locate a particular propertyby counting the number of properties from the intersection, making allowancefor any development that hasoccurred in the intervening years. (It is a good idea to count from both ends of the blockif possible, to minimise the risk of errorresulting 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.Someroads have never been block numberedand, with a few exceptionshere and there, the originalnumbers arestill in use.RoadNames in Subdivisions and Unit DevelopmentsNames of all roadsinnew subdivisions and common property driveways in unit developmentsrequire Council approval.Developersareencouragedto discuss roadnamesfor proposed subdivisions at an early stage. Approved names are added to thisindex, 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 ifthe location is unclear thenameis marked TBA.Estate namesused for promotional purposes don’t require Council approval, but must not implythat theyare (or maybecome)the suburb name. Ideally, all suchnamesshould include the word Estate.Roadsin Adjoining MunicipalitiesNew roadnames must not duplicate or be similar to names of existing roadsand must be checked for duplication within a 30 km radius.Some roadsin nearby areasare listedwith 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 5763or email: ronwoods@ballarat.vic.gov.au)Abbreviationsand SymbolsLocality names and their abbreviations used in this index are shownon pages3and 4.The index shows the Council Wards effective from November2008:C Central WardN North WardS South WardColumn "A" in the index indicates the mainauthority 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 isshared, and may change in response to road hierarchy and legislative changes. Authorities areidentified by lettersas follows:BBallarat CityCCrown*GGolden Plains ShireHHepburnShireMMooraboolShirePPyrenees ShireSA&P SocietyUUniversity of BallaratVVicRoads†XPrivate*Crown includes all federal and state government departments except VicRoads†Ballarat Cityis usually responsible for service roads, parking lanes, naturestrips and footpath areas on theseroadsThe following symbols are used throughout the index:< before this date© approximatedateprevious name$:source of name>see entry% beyond maps?unknown/uncertain GazGovernment Gazette@ spelling or origin of name confirmedNPCouncil naming proposal file numberGPNLand Victoria naming proposal file numberLocality and road names (including those in private developments) are listedin normal textOther featuresand facilitiesare listed in italics