Regional growth is again a driving opportunity and unsettling dilemma, not so much because of what has been done but rather what hasn't been done in metropolitan centres where growth has been most acute.
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But as the demand or opportunity spreads outwards and regional locations look to be safety valves as much as lifestyle alternatives to this pressure cooker, there is always the crucible test of how those same locations will greet change.
Ballarat has in many ways risen to this dilemma and its appetite for change is reflected in what might be called growing sophistication, as much in thought as in lifestyle.
In some ways this is a continuing picture of change from a rough and desperate tent city 170 years ago to modern innovation and diversity. The Courier has been there for more than 152 years charting this change, reflecting its voices, dissecting its problems and amplifying its most inspired ideas.
These are exciting times ahead, not without some massive challenges but be assured The Courier will be there giving you the full picture.
Read on.
Whatever your opinion
if 20 to 40 per cent of population growth was diverted from Melbourne to the regions, Ballarat and other regional cities could grow by an annual rate of 4 per cent, reaching around 500,000 people by 2056.