Suburb by suburb snapshot: Ballarat Central

The size of Ballarat Central is approximately 3.8 square kilometres and has four parks covering nearly 3.1 per cent of total area.

The population of Ballarat Central in 2011 was 5,464 people and by the 2016 Census the population was 5,333 showing a population decline of 2.4 per cent in the area during that time.

It is the third oldest settlement in greater Ballarat (after the gold rush settlements of Ballarat East and Golden Point) and was planned as a permanent settlement shortly following the initial gold rush, it was formerly known as Ballaarat West or the new township of Ballaarat.

Ballarat Central is important historically to the development of the city as well as for its Victorian era architecture and much of its area is covered by heritage overlays. This area contains the main retail area of Ballarat, however in recent decades it has been challenged by Wendouree.

The largest indoor shopping mall is Central Square Shopping Centre (built 1988) opposite the town hall which includes the major department stores of Myer and Target. Other shopping malls in the CBD include Norwich Plaza built in the 1970s and the City Arcade built in the 1980s.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Ballarat Central is 20- 29 years with households in Ballarat Central being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying $1,000 – $1,399 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Ballarat Central work in a professional occupation.