Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal collision that happened in Ballarat’s north over the weekend.

It is understood a motorcycle collided with a trailer, being towed by a car, turning into a driveway on Gillies Road, Sulky about 3.45pm.

The motorcycle rider died at the scene and officers were speaking to the driver of the car as at the time of their most recent public report on the incident.

The investigation remained ongoing.

Investigators were told there was a line of traffic on the street at the time of the incident and want to speak to those witnesses.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam or CCTV footage, are urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

The City of Ballarat has advertised a tender for the design and construction of the Gong Reservoir wall in the Buninyong Botanic Gardens. 

The Gong Reservoir wall project aims to protect Buninyong residents by reducing the risk of flooding. 

The council last year voted to adopt the Buninyong Botanic Gardens Landscape Masterplan. The Masterplan included the design and reconstruction of the Gong Reservoir wall, taking into consideration recommendations made in the engineering peer review, conducted by Stantec in 2023, and the Landscape Masterplan. 

The leaking Gong Reservoir wall was identified as a public safety risk in 2019.  

Wall failure could mean flooding downstream, impacting the Botanic Gardens, the bowling club, primary school and private residences. An independent risk assessment recommended the City of Ballarat ‘take measures to reduce the overall risk’. 

An engineering solution was developed to stabilise the wall and a 27 May 2020 council resolution recommended that a landscape masterplan be created to integrate the reconstructed Gong Reservoir into the surrounding landscape. 

Proposed wall remediation works, recommended by an experienced dam engineer, include the construction of an internal sand filter to control seepage through the wall. 

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the Gong dam wall was important to residents, both as a thoroughfare and as a protected heritage asset.  

“The Gong Reservoir wall reconstruction will stabilise the wall and provide peace of mind for residents,” he said. 

“The landscape treatments will improve integration of the dam into the gardens showcasing an indigenous and native garden. 

“The project team will engage with stakeholders throughout the process, including Heritage Victoria and nearby residents to update them on developments and address any questions.” 

The works also enable the controlled discharge of the seepage water into the garden ponds.  

A landscaping design response to the works includes re-use and redevelopment of the stone retaining wall, at the base of the wall on the gardens’ side, planting of suitable species, new garden beds with low growing plants, fencing and bollards. 

It also includes a boardwalk for access to the Gong Reservoir and new paths and crossing points for pedestrians. 

The Buninyong Botanic Gardens Landscape Masterplan was informed through extensive community consultation and stakeholder engagement in 2021 and early 2022, including both a pre-engagement and a draft engagement landscape masterplan phase. 

The final draft masterplan was completed in early 2022. 

The flood mitigation project has already moved through the preliminary design phase. 

The tender advertises for a design and construct contractor which will be responsible for developing the design on behalf of the City of Ballarat, and then overseeing construction through to completion.  

Story & Image: Supplied

The City of Ballarat is inviting public input and suggestions on how best to improve walking and cycling corridors across Ballarat and linking to surrounding areas, including Creswick.

Opportunities are being explored to address key safety issues in some important walking and cycling corridors after locations have been highlighted by the community as requiring safety improvements.  

The City of Ballarat is now inviting feedback, as to how these links could be improved for everyone’s safety and accessibility, with public input expected to assist future planning and budget opportunities.  

The City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said feedback from the people that use cycling and pedestrian links already will be vital in developing a plan to make them safer.  

“As Ballarat grows, it is important that both locals and visitors can get around safely and comfortably, whether they are walking, cycling or driving,” he said.  

Wendouree Parade

Lake Wendouree is a busy area for visitors and residents alike. The Lake Wendouree Masterplan identifies some key principles that will be investigated in this consultation. They include:  

• Pedestrians and cyclists should be given priority on the Lake foreshore.  
• Paths should be safe and well connected.  
• Connections to Victoria Park, Wendouee Railway Station and nearby schools should be explored.  

Creswick Road

It is a busy arterial route, that includes at the northern end an off-road trail which is popular for walking and cycling.

However, in sections with service roads these are discontinuous for cyclists due to the current layout. This project is seeking opportunities to make this route safer and more convenient for people walking and riding a bike in and out of the CBD to the North.  

Link from Gilles Street to Lucas  

The current off-road cycling path along Victoria Park finishes at Gilles Street, and people travelling west towards Alfredton and Lucas then have a disjointed journey, via service roads, and some that are one-way preventing a safe and continuous journey.  

The project aims to utilise existing service roads where possible, considering safety improvements such as crossings, speed management, wayfinding and other interventions.  

Feedback is now open for all three connections on the City of Ballarat’s Mysay page until Thursday 5 September 2024.

Forest Street  

Feedback on the Forest Street Active Transport Corridor project was collated in March and April this year, to determine what opportunities there were to make the Wendouree connection more accessible and enjoyable for people walking and cycling.  

Forest Street is a key transport link in Wendouree for residents to get to local businesses, shops, schools, early learning centres, community facilities and Lake Wendouree.  

Now the concept designs have been developed based on the first round of community consultation, the community is invited to view the designs and let us know what they think.  

Feedback from this round of consultation will help finalise the concept designs. The City of Ballarat will share the final designs with the community in the new year to ensure the designs reflect what the community needs.  

Sutton Street Shared Path

The construction of a 1.2 kilometre shared path, extensive tree planting, priority raised crossings and other improvements from Victoria Park past Morshead Park, via Sutton Street will commence construction shortly.  

This is the first stage of a new trail network connecting through the southern suburbs linking Victoria Park to Doug Dean Reserve and ultimately west to Kensington Creek Reserve and Delacombe Town Centre. It is part of the Trails and Connections project.  

The project aims to create safe and healthy connections for cyclists, walkers, runners and pedestrians across Ballarat’s open spaces.    

It is anticipated to be complete by the end of the year.  

The City of Ballarat has joined forces with Compost Revolution to provide residents with rebates delivering up to 40 per cent off the retail price of compost bins and worm farm products.

Composting provides an additional solution for those wanting to reduce food waste going to landfill by turning their food scraps into rich soil and fertiliser for their home gardens.

Compost Revolution offers a large range of products including worm farms, bokashi and compost bins to help residents start composting at home.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson (pictured above) said the rebate initiative will enable residents to recycle their food waste into compost and free up space in their general waste bins.

“Composting enables residents to nurture their soil to grow lush green gardens and delicious food,” he said.

“Food waste makes up more than 40 per cent of our household waste, which adds up to an estimated 9,500 tonnes of food that is thrown out by our residents every year and ends up in landfill.

“The City of Ballarat is committed to reducing waste going to landfill and creating a circular economy, that keeps materials in use for as long as possible.”

The initiative will complement the introduction of the City of Ballarat’s new weekly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collection in 2025.

The City of Ballarat says it’s taken an important step toward helping accommodate more than 55,000 new residents that are forecast to be living in the regional city in coming years. 

Ballarat City Council received a report on the final Housing Strategy and Growth Areas Framework Plan at its August Planning meeting.

Councillors discussed the reports and resolved to adopt the strategy and framework plan.  

As a planning authority, the City of Ballarat has a responsibility to plan housing growth for at least a 15-year period across the municipality. Plans to ensure housing in both infill and greenfield areas will now be rolled out.  

Following the adoption of the Housing Strategy and Growth Areas Framework Plan, the council discussed the importance of progressing the implementation of the strategies into the Ballarat Planning Scheme to assist in managing the challenges and opportunities facing Ballarat’s population and housing growth.  

A resolution was made to seek authorisation from the Minister for Planning to prepare a Ballarat Planning Scheme Amendment to implement the recommendations of the Ballarat Housing Strategy and Growth Areas Framework Plan into the planning scheme. 

Councillors acknowledged that further strategic work is required to bring both documents into full effect.   

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said both documents are vital to planning for how Ballarat will grow to accommodate more people in both growth areas and existing areas over coming years.  

The City of Ballarat’s Creative City team is seeking suitably qualified contractors to conserve a number of key public art pieces in Ballarat.  

The City of Ballarat hosts one of the most significant regional public art collections in Australia. Valued at more than $20 million, the oldest piece in this collection was erected in 1867, about 156 years ago.  

There are more than 120 pieces of public art placed throughout Ballarat.  

The City of Ballarat treats the Public Art Collection as an outdoor gallery with a collection on permanent display.

After a careful assessment and valuation of the collection, a proactive maintenance plan has been devised and is currently being implemented, the City says.

Requests for quote are currently open for suitable contractors to undertake conservation works on the following pieces:  

The Peterson Fountain  

The fountain is in the Sturt Street gardens in the hospital precinct and was erected in 1922. The fountain is made from bronze, marble and granite and includes frogs and a crane.  

Queen Victoria Memorial Statue  

The well-known Queen Victoria Statue, in the Sturt Street Gardens outside Town Hall has been in place since 1902. The statue is made from marble, sandstone, bronze and granite and is 4 metres tall.  

The Burke and Wills Memorial Fountain  

The iconic fountain near the Lydiard Street and Sturt Street intersection has been in place since 1867. It consists of four gas lights with copper decorative elements.  

George Tonner Memorial

Located at Lake Wendouree, between the Steve Moneghetti track and Wendouree Parade is the wooden memorial, which has been in place since 1925. It is made from stone pillars and a high wooden structure.  

Home  

The public art in a wetland at Doug Dean Reserve resembles bird homes partially submerged in water. Artist Chris Mether installed his art piece in 2014, and the birdhouses are set on wooden posts in the wetlands.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said public art is about more than just the works themselves.  

“From the central Sturt Street Gardens to pieces in Bridge Mall, the Botanic Gardens and around Lake Wendouree. We have a city-wide collection of art that we treat just like an open-air gallery, through curation, maintenance, repair and cleaning,” he said.  

“Public art in Ballarat is very important. It is free to enjoy, it can connect a community, create a community and create an identity for a space.”

A big summer of bowls awaits at City Oval Bowling Club after the completion of a new synthetic green.

The new green was officially opened last Monday, with City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson joining club members to send down some of the first bowls on the new surface.

The synthetic surface replaces the former grassed green and was completed at the club’s request.

There are now two grassed greens and one synthetic green, providing different options for use, but also making life easier for the volunteer-led club.

Natural surface bowls greens require ongoing and constant maintenance, water and specialist expertise to maintain and at considerable cost, placing financial and resource pressure on the clubs.

Cr Hudson said he was proud to unveil the new $638,000 upgrade, which was fully funded by the City of Ballarat.

“This new green allows for greater usage in all weather conditions and will result in greater participation numbers at the club,” he said.

“We know how incredibly hard volunteers work at community sporting clubs and that maintaining grass greens can be an extra burden, so to take some of that strain off the club is fantastic.”

City Oval Bowling Club Chairman Leigh McKenzie said that securing a new synthetic green provided the club members and other bowlers the ability to practice and play outdoors all year.

The green will retain the name of the club’s past long-serving life member Trevor Bennett.

“The new green is a reflection of our club’s determination to be patient, and our willingness to build a relationship that secures a long-term future for the club and our members,” Mr McKenzie said.

“The club is 100 years young and having two different playing surfaces will encourage and hopefully attract new bowlers to the club. City Oval Bowling Club is striving to be a ‘destination bowling club’ with a focus to be successful both on and off the greens.”

The City of Ballarat is currently in the final stages of preparing its Recreation Infrastructure Plan for Council consideration, which outlines a 15-year plan to ensure the municipality’s recreation infrastructure keeps up with forecasted population growth.

The plan, which is currently in draft and will be presented at the August Council Meeting, includes a range of other bowls upgrades planned for future years, with a new synthetic green at Buninyong Bowls Club the next item on the agenda.

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are continuing to investigate a fatal collision in Lucas, Ballarat on Saturday, August 10.

It’s believed a silver Mazda sedan collided with a white Toyota Prado on Carngham Road near Finchs Road just after 7pm.

A passenger from the Mazda, a 6-year-old Winter Valley child, died at the scene.

A second passenger from the Mazda, a 13-year-old Winter Valley child, was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the Mazda, a 41-year-old Winter Valley woman, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver and sole occupant of the Toyota, a 78-year-old Haddon man, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined and investigations remain ongoing.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, with dashcam footage or any other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward following a brazen smash and grab burglary at a North Ballarat supermarket last week.

It’s understood that four offenders were involved and a quantity of cigarettes and alcohol were stolen in the early morning burglary at the IGA Northway supermarket on Ballarat’s Doveton Street.

Police say four offenders smashed their way into the supermarket at about 5.20am on Monday, August 5, and helped themselves to cigarettes and alcohol before fleeing the scene in a white SUV.

On attending, police had found the front door broken and the store’s cigarette cabinet had been broken into, leaving the store’s owners and managers counting the cost of the brazen act.

Anyone with information, dashcam or CCTV footage of the incident was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A confidential report could also be made online at crimestoppersvic.com.au

In the Hepburn Shire LGA alone a total $13,883,548 was poured into the pokies for the 23-24 financial year, the latest Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission figures show.

Statewide, regional Victorians poured a massive $692 million into poker machines in the 2023-24 financial year, the biggest regional spend on the machines ever recorded by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.

At a per capita level, the amount poured into the pokies in Hepburn shire equated to $249 per person, while in the City of Ballarat LGA the rate worked out at $538 per head of the population.

The number of machines in the Hepburn Shire local government area is 167 while in the neighbouring local government area of Macedon Ranges Shire the number of poker machines is 103.

In the Macedon Ranges Shire LGA a total $9,695,883 was fed into the pokies in the 23-24 financial year, equating to a spending rate of $183 per capita.

Geelong – which has the most pokies of any LGA in the state – poured $136 million into the machines, the largest amount for any regional LGA, while Ballarat was the second biggest pokies spender in regional Victoria.

Victoria-wide amount fed into gaming machines topped a record $3 billion for the financial year, and the findings in regional Victoria come despite nine regional local government areas having no pokies.

Taking those nine pokie-free LGAs into account, the commission’s figures show that country Victorians spent more per capita than Melbourne residents, with an average $557 fed into the pokies compared to $548 in metro Melbourne.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission data shows that Ballarat gamblers were feeding nearly $174,000 a day into the machines over the past year, pouring $63,550,282.39 all up into the pokies over the 23-24 financial year.

And the commission’s number crunching shows that despite its larger population, Greater City of Bendigo gamblers fed $58,668,802.26 into the gaming machines in the same period – $5 million less than Ballarat.

Coastal Warrnambool notched up the highest comparative per capita spend rate for any regional LGA, pouring the equivalent of $646 into the pokies for each one of its 35,907 residents.

Of course, it needs be noted that in actuality, a much smaller number of people would have accounted for the millions of dollars in losses.

All up a total $23.2 million was spent on Warrnambool poker machines in 2023-24, an all-time record for the coastal location the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission figures show.

If you’re struggling with gambling addiction, contact Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 858 or visit the website.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

The City of Ballarat is assessing community feedback gathered during the recent flood modelling mapping consultation to help complete the final report.  

The flood modelling is intended to better understand the effects of flooding on properties throughout the municipality and is the first step in a bigger sequence of works at the City of Ballarat.  

The mapping helps the City of Ballarat to better understand the current landscape, and therefore identify and update flood-prone areas so it can continue to invest in ongoing infrastructure to mitigate the risk.

From this modelling, several projects will be added to the City of Ballarat Capital Works program to manage storm water and help reduce flood risk.  

Flood protection across the City of Ballarat is a continuous process, most recently highlighted by a $5 million investment to create a water drainage basin at MR Power Park in Sebastopol, which will be able to hold up to 30,000 cubic metres of storm water.  

The City of Ballarat is also preparing the Miners Rest Flood Mitigation Plan and undertaking dam wall projects in Buninyong.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was great to see such an engaged group of people participate during the consultation.  

“I understand the community’s interest in this mapping, and appreciate their concerns raised,” he said.  

“This flood mapping process is just the start of helping us identify opportunities to develop infrastructure that mitigates the risk of flooding in the first place.”  

During recent consultation sessions concerns were raised from community members regarding impacts on development, and that the modelling may inhibit future opportunities.  

However, this flood mapping is not about stopping development in these areas but providing more accurate information to developers and landowners in the initial stages to better consider their design proposals.

Questions were also put forward about the impact this modelling may have on private insurance premiums.  

Once finalised this flood mapping should have no impact on insurance premiums or home valuations. Insurance companies use a separate up-to-date system (the National Flood Information Database) to assess flooding risks rather than flood overlays developed by Local Governments.

City of Ballarat officers are now working through this round of community feedback and will continue undertaking further consultation in the coming months before a report is expected to be presented to the Ballarat City Council in early 2025. 

Words & Image: Supplied

Getting into the mindset of successful entrepreneurs will be the focus of a unique collaboration between Commerce Ballarat and Ballarat’s Federation University Australia.

Taking place from next month the collaboration will feature Federation University alumnus professor Murray Gillin, adjunct professor and CEO of Ararat Regional Council Dr Tim Harrison, and six experienced entrepreneurs.

Expected to help drive growth in the region, it will also provide a unique chance for local businesses, students and innovators to speak to leading entrepreneurs.

The course will takes place at Federation University’s SMB campus on 16 and 17 September, 7 and 8 October, and 28 and 29 October from 9am to 1pm with lunch included.

It will cost $340 to attend and those who successfully attend and complete the course will receive a digital certificate of completion.

Organisers say those who attend can expect to gain valuable insights into the entrepreneur mindset including intellectual, spiritual and emotional intelligences and how to foster an entrepreneurial culture in teams.

Further information is available through the university.

CLASSICAL vocal group Vox is preparing to perform the third part of one of the most celebrated choral works of the Baroque era with a concert in Ballarat tomorrow afternoon.

Backed by a guest conductor and local instrumentalists gathered specifically for the show, the acapella ensemble is bringing George Frideric Handel’s Messiah III: The Redeemer to the region.

 The Ballarat show will be held tomorrow August 10 from 2pm at the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King.

Led by guest conductor Michael Fulcher, music director of Christ Church South Yarra, and Polyphonic Voices, the show will boast 14 singers and 13 instrumentalists.

Vox bass singer Peter Freund says the show will offer something different from the group’s traditional performance.

Freund says preparing for the performance has presented a few growth opportunities for Vox.

“It’s a skills development for us as well because normally we don’t work with a conductor so that brings new approaches and new skills,” he says.

“Normally we’d sing with just the core membership as an acapella ensemble but from time to time in the nearly 20 years we’ve been performing, we undertake bigger projects,” he said.

“We’ll do works with an orchestra and an ensemble partly to offer our audiences a different experience. Accompanied pieces can be more inviting to an audience too.”

Tickets to the Ballarat concert are $40 adult, $35 concession, $15 student, and free for primary school children, and can be booked at bit.ly/4c8MkuK. 

A Ballarat woman who disappeared from a Warrenheip property, triggering a police appeal for assistance from the public to help locate her, was last week found safe after a search lasting for about eight weeks.

Renee King (pictured above) had been living in accommodation in Warrenheip before she left unannounced on Thursday, May 30, and was subsequently reported as missing.

She had been reportedly sighted a number of times around Ballarat in the days after leaving the accommodation.

On July 8 Ms King’s daughter and police had issued a public plea for members of the public to come forward with any information regarding her whereabouts, and also urging her to get in touch.

Last Tuesday, July 30, police publicly confirmed that Ms King had been located safe and well in Ballarat.

A Ballarat fast food store sited on the Creswick Road looks likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future after its owner recently went into voluntary administration.

The Carl’s Jr Ballarat store is among 20 such stores nation-wide which in recent days has been reported as closing immediately.

Late last month KPMG Australia had been appointed the voluntary administrators of CJ’s QSR Group, which operated 24 Carl’s Jr restaurants across the country.

Of those 24, only four stores now remain open: Dandenong, Melton, Bringelly, and Tarneit.

However, 25 stores independently owned and run by third-party sub-licensees, will likely continue to operate unaffected, KPMG said earlier.