| Ararat Victoria |
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Barkly Street, looking east towards Mt Langi Ghiran |
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Ararat
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| Population: | 8215 (2006)[1] |
| Established: | 1857 |
| Postcode: | 3377 |
| Area: | 12.6 km² (4.9 sq mi) |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | Rural City of Ararat |
| Federal Division: | Wannon |
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about 205 kilometres (130 mi) west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera. Its population according to the 2006 census was 8,215.[1]
It is the largest settlement in the Rural City of Ararat local government area and is the administrative centre.
The discovery of gold in 1857 during the Victorian gold rush transformed it into a boomtown which continued to prosper until the turn of the 20th century after which it has steadily declined in population. It was proclaimed as a city on 24 May 1950. Today,however it continues to decline.[2]
It is named after Mount Ararat 10 kilometres south west of the town which was named by Horatio Wills in 1841.
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Prior to the European settlement of Australia, Ararat was inhabited by the Tjapwurong Indigenous Australian people.[3]
Europeans first settled in the Grampians region in the 1840s after surveyor Thomas Mitchell passed through the area in 1836. In 1841, Horatio Wills, on his way to selecting country further south, wrote in his diary, "like the Ark we rested" and named a nearby hill Mt Ararat. It is from this entry and the nearby Mount that the town takes its name. The Post Office opened 1 February 1856 although known as Cathcart until 31 August 1857.[4]
In 1857, a party of Chinese miners en route to the Central Victorian gold fields struck gold at the Canton Lead which marked the beginning of great growth in Ararat. The Chinese community was substantial in Ararat, the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre commemorates the history of the community.
Rapid growth brought about a municipality, which was incorporated as a borough on 24 September 1858.
Ararat became a city of asylums J Ward, a lunatic asylum for criminally insane opened in 1859. In 1865, a large facility Aradale Mental Hospital was opened. Both have been closed but remain as significant reminders of the city's role in the treatment of mentally ill patients.
Vines were planted in 1863 by French settlers.
Ararat's economy is driven by primary industries of the region including wool, beef and the Grampians Wine Region. The region has a number of wind farms including the Challicum Hills Wind Farm produce large amounts of renewable energy to the National Electricity Market.
The city also has a significant service economy with health, community services and is a regional commerce centre. HM Prison Ararat is located in the town.
Servicing visitors to the Grampians National Park and the local wine industry, tourism is a relatively small but significant industry in Ararat, employing 150 people and generating around $8 million to the economy, however its impact on the surrounding region is significant with tourists spending $270 million annually.[5]
Ararat is nestled between several mountain ranges, including the Grampians National Park, Mount Langi Ghiran, Mount Cole, Mount Buangor, Ararat Hills Regional Park and the Pyrenees Ranges. Cemetery Creek, the valley's main catchment runs through the north of the town while Green Hill lake is on the city's eastern fringe.
88% of people in Ararat were born in Australia.[3]
62% of people in Ararat identify with Christianity.[6] Anglican and Catholic faiths are evenly represented with 18% of people identifying with each.
The city is the location of the municipal offices and seat of government for the Rural City of Ararat local government area.[7]. Ararat is represented by the federal Division of Wannon.
For law enforcement, Ararat has a single police station[8] as well as a magistrates court and a children's court all located on Barkly Street[9][10].
Ararat has four primary schools - Ararat Primary; Ararat West Primary; Ararat North Primary and St Marys Catholic Primary School. In addition there are several kindergartens in the city. There are two main colleges - Ararat Community College and Marian College which is a Catholic high school. Ararat has regional campuses of the University of Ballarat[11] and Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE.[12]
Ararat's National Trust listed[13] former town hall with its elaborate clock tower, designed by Molloy and Smith and built in 1899, is now home to the Ararat Regional Art Gallery,[14] and the Ararat Performing Arts Centre[15] for the city.
Australian rules football is a popular sport in Ararat. The Ararat Football Club (formed in 1871) was a founding club of the Wimmera Football League and continues to compete with its most recent premiership in 2001.[16] A second club, the Ararat Eagles Football Club was formed more recently in 2000 to play in the Lexton Plains Football League.[17][18] Like many country football clubs, Ararat's clubs offer netball as a popular sport for women in Ararat, with the Ararat Rats representing the city in the Wimmera Netball Association.[19]
The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around five race meetings a year at Ararat including the Ararat Cup meeting in November.[20]
Ararat Harness Racing Club conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the town.[21]
Golfers play at the Aradale Golf Club on Grano Street[22] or at the course of the Chalambar Golf Club on Golf Links Road.[23]
Motocross has become a popular sport in the area, and the Ararat Motorcycle Club regularly holds events up to state level.
Association Football is played at junior level, with the Ararat and Grampians YMCA school competition from years 8-12.
The city's main community festival is known as the Golden Gateway Festival and has run since 1958 when it was set up to commemorate the city's centenary.[24]
The Jailhouse Rock Festival (since 1994 a retro 1950s themed festival) are two major festival events in Ararat.
Two Royal Australian Navy ships have been named after this town. HMAS Ararat (K 34), a Bathurst class corvette, and HMAS Ararat (ACPB 89), an Armidale class patrol boat.
Ararat is situated at the junction of several main roads including the Western Highway via High Street (running eastward to Ballarat and Melbourne and westward to Horsham and Adelaide); the Pyrenees Highway via Vincent Street (running east to Avoca and Maryborough); Ararat-Pomonal Road via Barkly Street (westward towards Halls Gap) and the Mortlake-Ararat Road via Vincent Street (running south with connections to the west and Hamilton, south and Warrnambool and to the east and Geelong). Ararat's urban area streets are laid out in grid plan.
Ararat's railway station is at the junction of the Ararat railway, Western standard gauge railway and Avoca railway. It is serviced by V/Line with twice daily peak VLocity services running along the Ararat Line to Ballarat (53 minutes) and on to Melbourne (133–143 minutes), with some trains stopping at stations in between as well as The Overland to Melbourne three times weekly (140 minutes). Train travel toward Adelaide is also possible on The Overland which stops at Ararat on route from Melbourne and is generally a 16 hour journey.
Ararat Transit provides 86 bus services on three routes 5 days a week, connecting with train services.[25]
The regional airport, Ararat Airport YARA (ARY) is located 5 km south of the city on the Western Highway providing for general aviation.
Ararat & District Hospital (established in 1850) is a major regional hospital and is coordinated by the East Grampians Health Service and Ararat Medical Centre.
Ararat's water supply is from the Langi Ghiran Reservoir and the Picnic Road Reservoir both located in the Langi Ghiran State Park and managed by the Ararat Rural City Council.[26] Olivers Gully reservoir is a secondary supply.[27]
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