Ballarat is an important town for many genealogists. If you have ancestry in Australia before World War Two then there is a one in ten chance you had an ancestor on the Ballarat Goldfield. After the discovery of gold at Ballarat in August 1851 the population of Ballarat increased dramatically. It decreased as dramatically as gold diggers followed a 'rush' to antoher centre, and to return when news of new discoveries were announced. It was an exciting time.

Some diggers made their fortunes, others had little luck. By 1854 feelings on many Victoria goldfields were hotting up. Government officials were 'digger hunting' or riding out to the diggings in the search of miners without a gold licence. Some miners did not have the 30 shillings for a monthly gold license. In November 1854 the Ballarat Reform League was formed, with diggers burning their gold licenses on Bakery Hill during the Monster Meeting held on 29 November 2009. It was at this meeting that the Eureka Flag flew for the first time. If you think you had an ancestor associate with the Eureka affair try to locate them in The Eureka Encyclopaedia or Women of the Diggings: Ballarat 1854.

As alluvial gold became harder to find miners dug shafts to great depths in search of the deep leads buried under ancient volcano flows. Deep Lead mining required large amounts of money for equipment. This lead to the formation of mining companies owned by shareholders. Miners started working for a wage, and Ballarat became a more settled community. It is often said that Ballarat is 'built on gold'. After tremendous growth, consolidation of the city took place through industry, agriculture, commerce, sports and the arts. By 1870, when William Withers wrote his famous History of Ballarat the streets of the two municipalities, Ballaarat and Ballarat East, where laid out with houses or businesses sitting side by side on the street line. This is an excellent book to give an idea of the times, and lists many names of residents. The Fascimile edition of the book History of Ballarat & Some Ballarat Reminiscences includes a list of all first land owners, as well as further work by Withers written in 1896. This edition has a comprehensive index.

If you have tracked your ancestors to the Ballarat region it is worth noting that the Central Highlands Historical Association Inc. is the umbrella association for around fifty heritage organisations. These groups have interests as diverse as local history, family history and genealogy, the history of railways, trams, paddle steamers, astronomy, aviation and military matters. The CHHA was formed in 1985 and is an active and innovative organisation which assists by developing and maintaining resource and information networks among the member societies. It represents member societies to municipal, state and federal governments on matters of joint concern. The CHHA conducts a number of public events throughout the year including a family and local history expo. A listing of the historical societies and repositories in the Ballarat district can be located in the research guide Family History Research on the central Goldfields of Victoria. The book also includes lists of records relating to Ballarat held at the Public Record Office of Vitoria Ballarat Repository, and gives ideas on how to find Ballarat ancestors through court records, rate records, newspapers, education records, mining records and much more. Most libraries should have a copy of this book, or will purchase one if asked.

Ballarat Genealogical records don't stop when mining activity decreased. Industry, education, health and agriculture filled the lives of many residents, and they have left their mark on local records. The Ballaarat Cemetery is well worth a visit. A touch screen of burials is available at the Ballaarat Old Cemetery. According to the work of Dorothy Wickham and Peter Butters in Silent City: The History of Ballarat's cemetery. there are more people buried in Ballarat than living in the town. Ballarat has an truly interesting history. The Australiana Room at the Ballarat branch of the Central Highlands Regional Library Corporation, and the Public Record Office of Victoria Ballarat repository are also worth visiting.

For those who want to gain an understanding of the conditions their ancestors lived in should visit the Art Gallery of Ballarat where artworks depict the gold era and beyond. The Ballarat Mechanics Institute and its collections is listed by Heritage Victoria, and after a walk down the hallowed walls it is obvious how important education of the working class was in Ballarat.