But the term 'growing pains' highlights the bittersweet nature of growth because invariably it comes with change.

We see this as expanding suburbs march steadily westward and add to traffic congestion, demanding more and more interventions by VicRoads to keep roads flowing and safe.

We see it in the economic emergence of the CBD as a working capital and the perpetual headache it creates with parking that in some past halcyon age was once always free and always where you needed it.

We see it in education as the pressure builds on schools to take on more enrollments and meet higher standards.

Only last week The Courier showed how Ballarat schools are rising to this challenge and bucking the trends in VCE results, in many cases reaffirming Ballarat's reputation for being a standout education centre for regional Victoria.

In other cases schools are meeting this demand for more higher education head-on with bold plans for expansion and change. But these too will come with a degree of change, objection and dispute.

The important thing is The Courier is there to cover it all, so you know what it is going on in your city.