Bunton, aged 30, makes the move to Selkirk Stadium for the NBL1 South season fresh from Canberra Capitals in the Women's National Basketball League.

This is a chance for Bunton to get back to work with Miner's women's head coach Kennedy Kereama, who was an assistant at the Capitals during Burton's comeback season in 2021-22.

Bunton had effectively retired from the game almost five years ago after having undergone 11 knee surgeries in 11 years. She was 25 years old and doctors had warned the risks were too great.

Then Capitals coach Paul Goriss came calling and helped Bunton - now a mum to daughter Opal - realise two years out of the game had been what her body had needed.

Bunton's form captured the attention and in 2023 she was called back into the Opals' fold ahead of the Asia Cup for the first time since a 2018 silver medal-winning World Cup campaign.

In a statement with the Miners, Bunton said working with Kereama again had been something she had wanted to do for awhile and that she was grateful to "be a part of his vision for the upcoming season".

Kereama said physically, Bunton would add much-needed size and defensive paint presence. But she would also add voice and leadership on the court.

"Her experience in the game speaks for itself and she has played at a multitude of levels," Kereama said. "Bunts most importantly is a great human and has been a great community person in every playing environment she has been a part of. I know she will have a great impact in Ballarat both on and off the court."

Bunton, a decorated junior with international experience, made her WNBL debut with the Australian Institute of Sport in 2009 before moving to the Capitals and playing alongside the likes of Lauren Jackson.

WNBL stints at Adelaide Lightening and Dandenong Rangers followed before Bunton was signed by Dynamo Moscow for the 2016-17 season of the Russian Premier League and the Eastern European Basketball Women's League.

In her return to WNBL action, Bunton has become a vocal driver for family violence awareness with the national competition as a platform.

She became a survivor of family violence during her retirement from the game. Her former partner would be convicted and receive a suspended sentence and probation in court for two counts of assault creating actual bodily harm.

"It wasn't hard for me to realise the situation I was in was going to help so many more people, and not just myself," Burton told The Canberra Times in February 2023.

"It's a very hard place to be in when you're alone, and basketball has helped me come out of this. To have women around me who are not just fighting for me, but fighting for everyone else, is a beautiful thing.

"It's such a taboo subject from the stigma society has created for it. It's amazing to have a different story this time, to have a different voice. It's not just my voice, but my team and the Caps as an organisation. To have some personal emotion behind it is going to be huge."

Bunton is the eighth confirmed Miner on the women's roster, joining fellow WNBL players Mehryn Kraker, Micah Simpson, Ella Gordon and Abbey Wehrung, along with the returning Millie Cracknell, Milly Sharp and Jemma Amoore.

She played played 12 games and averaged 16.9 minutes with the Capitals this past WNBL season.

Ballarat Miners tip off the season with a home game against arch-rivals Bendigo at Selkirk Stadium on Wednesday, April 3.