{{infobox australian place | type | city |
---|---|
name | Ararat |
state | vic |
lga | Rural City of Ararat |
use lga map | yes |
postcode | 3377 |
est | 1857 |
pop | 8215 (2006) |
pop footnotes | |
area | 12.6 |
coordinates | |
fedgov | Wannon |
dist1 | 205 |
location1 | Melbourne |
dist2 | 105 |
location2 | Horsham |
dist3 | 92 |
location3 | Ballarat |
dist4 | 125 |
location4 | Hamilton }} |
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.
It is named after Mount Ararat 10 kilometres south west of the town which was named by Horatio Wills in 1841.
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.
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.
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.
62% of people in Ararat identify with Christianity. Anglican and Catholic faiths are evenly represented with 18% of people identifying with each.
For law enforcement, Ararat has a single police station as well as a magistrates court and a children's court all located on Barkly Street.
The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around five race meetings a year at Ararat including the Ararat Cup meeting in November.
Ararat Harness Racing Club conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the town.
Golfers play at the Aradale Golf Club on Grano Street or at the course of the Chalambar Golf Club on Golf Links Road.
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 Jailhouse Rock Festival (since 1994 a retro 1950s themed festival) are two major festival events in Ararat.
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.
The regional airport, Ararat Airport YARA (ARY) is located 5 km south of the city on the Western Highway providing for general aviation.
cy:Ararat, Victoria fr:Ararat (Australie) ga:Ararat (Victoria) ka:??????????? (?????????????) nl:Ararat (Australië) pnb:آراراٹ pl:Ararat (Australia) simple:Ararat, Victoria uk:?рарат (мі?то, ?в?тралія)
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