Ararat, Victoria
Ararat (Djabwurrung: Tallarambooroo) is a town in south-west Victoria, Australia, about 198 kilometres (120 mi) west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera. Its urban population according to 2021 census is 8,500 and services the region of 11,880 residents across the Rural City's boundaries. It is also the home of the 2018/19 GMGA Golf Championship Final.
| Ararat Victoria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barkly Street, looking east towards Mt Langi Ghiran | |||||||||
Ararat | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°17′0″S 142°55′0″E | ||||||||
| Population | 8,500 (2021 census) | ||||||||
| • Density | 625/km2 (1,619/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Established | 1857 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3377 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 295 m (968 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 13.6 km2 (5.3 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Rural City of Ararat | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Ripon | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Wannon | ||||||||
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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. After a decline in population over the 1980s and 90s, there has been a small but steady increase in the population, and it is the site of many existing and future, large infrastructure projects, including the Hopkins Correctional Facility development project.
It is named after Mount Ararat 10 kilometres south-west of the town which was named by politician/pastoralist Horatio Wills in 1841.
Ararat is the only city in Australia founded by Chinese people.