Ballarat has the unique distinction of being the place where the first recorded Australian Rules Football match played by women was held.

In 1865 that the people of Ballarat were to have their most notable encounter with the American Civil War when officers from the Confederate warship CSS Shenandoah visited the city.

William Collard Smith was one of Ballarat’s prominent early citizens. He was a land agent, mining speculator, Mayor of Ballarat and a Member of State Parliament.

Alice Ann Cornwell was an English industrialist, mine speculator, entrepreneur and newspaper owner.

Ballarat Punch was a satirical publication which contained funny cartoons and drawings, satirical articles which made fun of local public figures, and provided a chiding moral commentary on everyday life.

Marie Collier (1927-1971) was a Ballarat-born opera soprano. She was born on 16 April 1927 to Thomas Robinson Collier, a railway employee, and Anne Marie (nee Bechaz).

This week I wanted to look at the old Ballarat Gaol. I am sure many people have driven past this intriguing building that is part of the School of Mines campus of Federation University Australia.

While James Oddie is a name that will be familiar to many people due to his involvement in the founding of many of Ballarat’s charitable and cultural institutions, I wanted to focus on an aspect of his life that maybe not so well known, the creation of his newspaper, ‘The Corn Stalk’.

Football has a rich history in Ballarat. Many players have developed their skills at local football clubs and then drafted to play at an elite level, including the VFL/AFL.