Prior to making the move to their new Lucas property this week, the couple had lived in Thornbury in Melbourne’s inner north.   

With the NBN rollout still more than a year away at their metropolitan rental, the pair opted to buy in a location with fibre to the premises, providing speeds more than 30 times faster than they previously accessed.  

Ms Micich, who works as a project manager for Microsoft, said while much of her work could be done from home she still needed to be in the city at least twice a week. 

The 37-year-old said a faster, better connected train service would help her to maximise productive work time.

“It’s probably an hour and-a-half on the actual train but it’s two hours door to door by the time you get there and get working,” Ms Micich said.  “I know part of the plan is to boost connectivity on the trains so if that (commute) ends up being work time while you’re in transit that’s amazing.

“If people are already thinking that it takes them an hour on the train in Melbourne to get to the other side of the city where they’re still stuck in suburbia, we’ve got a more open lifestyle here in Ballarat.”  

The couple, who were both educated at what was then the University of Ballarat, are part of a new breed of Ballarat residents escaping the costs and congestion of inner Melbourne. 

From less than 80,000 people 15 years ago, Ballarat has reached more than 101,000 people, riding on the coat tails of Melbourne’s almost three per cent growth rate. 

While both major political parties have attempted to encourage more even growth into regional cities, the bulk of the more than 146,000 who moved to Victoria last year opted for Melbourne. 

Mr Miller, who grew up in country Victoria, said an improved rail system would help to convince those living in metropolitan areas to make the move to cities such as Ballarat. 

“Working in the Melbourne CBD I was standing in people’s armpits and I don’t like that experience, and it’s getting worse.”

Speaking to the National Economic Development Conference earlier this week, mayor Samantha McIntosh made the bold prediction the City of Ballarat could double its size by 2040. 

The ambitious statement came on the back of the city’s consistent above two per cent growth which saw its population reach more than 101,000 at the 2016 census. 

Cr McIntosh said a more efficient train service and better access to parking for commuters would both be crucial factors in the city being able to attract thousands of new residents. 

“If were looking at doubling our population that absolutely means we need to consider how we connect to rural, regional and metro centres,” Cr McIntosh said.  

“We need to be presuming this will happen, not reacting when it does.

“If we want to secure that commuter population and make sure their experience is more conducive to a healthy and reliable work life we need to start with better car parking and a shorter travel time.”  

The idea of drawing Victorians away from Melbourne is one which has been championed by both the government and opposition. 

Earlier this year the government doubled the first home buyers grant and axed stamp duty on properties worth less than $600,000 for those buying in regional and rural Victoria, while the opposition has promoted its decentralisation agenda. 

While the express 59-minute service which was achieved a decade ago put Ballarat’s V/Line service in line with the outer stops of some of the city’s busiest Metro services, the increasing popularity and congestion on the line has caused that peak hour service time to balloon out. 

Increased investment to allow for a 59-minute express service to Southern Cross would see Ballarat again rival outer suburbs such as Pakenham (61 minutes), Cranbourne (59 minutes), Frankston (61 minutes) and Belgrave (57 minutes) when comparing commutes, increasing the ease with which regional commuters can maintain their links to the city. 

A 65-minute service is currently Ballarat commuters’ best possible journey time. 

Integra land development manager Nick Grylewicz said while young professionals were increasingly choosing Ballarat for the lifestyle, it was critical the transport connection with Melbourne improved. 

“We’re definitely seeing a return of young professionals and it’s amazing to see the people who have gone and had great jobs in other cities and countries come back to Ballarat,” Mr Grylewicz said.  “But we’ve got to make sure there are jobs and connectivity in place because along with lifestyle that’s what will bring good young people back.”