In the days of the gold rush, miners took what was available – which wasn’t a great deal beyond mutton and damper – to fashion a diet.

The years which followed the gold rush exemplified the divide between the rich and poor and accordingly what one was able to afford to eat.

Despite our rich culture and strong history of making food a successful business and consumer proposition, it would be a stretch to suggest Ballarat has been an epicentre of experimentation or risk-taking in regard to food ventures. A pot and parma would do us just fine, thank you.

However, Ballarat has been slowly building a new reputation for fine food and wine in the past decade.

Largely built off the same premise of the gold rush era where you do with what you could source locally, Ballarat’s food scene is not only flourishing but leading a new wave of experimentation, multiculturalism and unique offerings.

The new excitement about Ballarat’s food scene hasn’t just risen from nowhere. The pubs and clubs culture so evident in the 1990s and early 2000s in Ballarat’s central business district were undoubtedly profitable but was always being hammered by changing expectations around alcohol control, the want for a deeper patron experience and community safety.

The CBD has gradually morphed its cashed-up clientele from spending at 3am to spending at 9pm and from shots to shallots.

Up has popped offerings unique to Ballarat in a historic sense but also different to other regional centres. There are so many good stories that it’s a shame to elevate one above another so, for the purposes of today, instead we’ll encourage you to make up your own mind.

Given so much headway has been made in a relatively short space of time, support and sustainability of the sector is now just as important as the need to push the boundaries of local offerings.

On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending Federation University’s Community Dinner at Prospects Restaurant. Here the audience was wined and dined by a crew (let’s say a baker’s dozen) of apprentices from the TAFE food training program.

Great food, a tangy Californian Pale Ale and the knowledge that it was all being prepared by those marked as the future of the industry made for an uplifting evening.

There’s never been a truer word written than for all the steps forward, Ballarat is now positioned to go from good to great and make our city the number one destination in regional Victoria for a great food and wine experience.

The Courier is the driving force behind Good Food Ballarat, a month-long celebration of our great venues and produce. We know it will be the catalyst for greater understanding of local offerings and be a showcase of the possibilities towards the greater goal.

We see it as a great opportunity to sell our story so that investment continues in training and development – like that at Prospects – of the Ballarat food sector and that our city might be able to attract even bigger names and entrepreneurs.

Good Food Ballarat will conclude with a degustation dinner in the Mining Exchange on Saturday, November 29, featuring some of the state’s best foodies and the region’s great produce. 

We hope the dinner is the proverbial cherry on top of an amazing cake created with the help of Ballarat region business.

To book, or for more details follow the links online at www.thecourier.com.au

andrew.eales@fairfaxmedia.com.au