The spelling of the name was a source of constant confusion. It originated from two
Aboriginal words "balla arat", meaning "resting place". The municipality used the spelling Ball
aarat as part of its corporate description, but the town itself came to be known as Ball
arat. Ballaarat originated in two boroughs, incorporated two years apart; the Borough of Ballaarat was first incorporated on 10 December 1855, becoming a town on 10 October 1863 and a city on 9 September 1870. The Borough of Ballaarat East, meanwhile, came into being on 1 May 1857 and became a town on 23 August 1872. It was divided into North, Central and South wards in 1889. On 25 May 1921, the town merged into Ballaarat, which was redivided into four wards. On 2 April 1930, the combined entity absorbed part of the
Shire of Bungaree. On 6 May 1994, the City of Ballaarat was abolished, and along with the
Borough of Sebastopol, the
Shire of Ballarat and parts of the Shires of Bungaree,
Buninyong,
Grenville and
Ripon, was merged into the newly created
City of Ballarat. ==Wards==