Century old tram tracks discovered during Bridge Mall works

A part of Ballarat’s transport history has been dug up in the Bridge Mall redevelopment works.

Ballarat’s Mayor Cr. Des Hudson today confirming with this newsroom that old tram tracks and sleepers dating back to 1905 have been found.

Council says it expected and planned for this with consent from Heritage Victoria in place.

The track sections are in poor condition and discontinuous, with most of the track having been removed after the decommissioning of the tram network during the 1970s.  

At its peak in 1937, the Ballarat tramway network was the largest in Australia operating outside one of the capital cities, with 7 principal routes and more than 24 kilometres of track.