St Andrews Kirk Cathedral and St Patricks Cathedral in Ballarat

Cathedrals of Ballarat - Ballarat visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cathedrals of Ballarat' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Victoria.

Ballarat is approx. 105 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. With an urban population of approx. 90,000 people the city is one of the largest inland cities of Australia. Ballarat is notable as the site for Australia's only armed civil uprising, colloquially referred to as the Eureka Stockade but more correctly titled the Eureka Rebellion, which took place on 3 December 1854. The two cathedrals in Ballarat are St Patricks Cathedral and St Andrews Kirk Cathedral.

Gold was discovered near Ballarat in 1851, and the influx of over 10,000 miners in less than a year transformed it from a pastoral town into Victoria's largest city. While the city's growth slowed after the 1880s and Melbourne quickly overshadowed its importance, Ballarat remains a major inland regional centre and tourist destination, having retained much of its Victorian era heritage and is known for its grand heritage listed buildings and gardens.

Ballarat is renowned for its cultural heritage and decorative arts, especially applied to the built environment, combined with the gold rush, this has created a picturesque urban landscape. In 2003 Ballarat was the first of two Australian cities to be registered as a member of the International League of Historical Cities and in 2006 hosted the 10th World League of Historical Cities Congress.

Ballarat is notable for its very wide boulevards. The main street is Sturt Street and is considered among one of the finest main avenues in Australia with over 2 kilometres of central gardens known as the Sturt Street Gardens featuring bandstands, fountains, statues, monuments, memorials and lampposts.

105 Km north-west of Melbourne, Ballarat is extensively connected by road and rail networks as a major transport hub within Victoria state.