A Ballarat councillor says the often-forgotten Eureka Centre needs to eventually pay for itself.
It currently has an operating budget of more than $730,000 and brings in just over $200,000 in revenue, leaving a half million-dollar cost for ratepayers to pick up.
Visitor numbers are bouncing back however, in 2022/23 total visitation was 46,378, a 45% increase on the 2018/19 figures.
According to a City of Ballarat council meeting agenda, visitor numbers are on track to reach over 55,000 this financial year.
“What I would say is that there is a commitment from council to work towards breaking even over time.”
“It’s an iconic venue, it’s a site we need to maintain and respect in terms of our history, but also we need to be very practical that we can’t be throwing money away.”
“So, we do need to get that to a break-even position as soon as we can,” Cr. Eddy said.
The Eureka Centre is free for Ballarat locals to visit.
