Lorraine Nicholson, 66, pleaded guilty at the County Court in Ballarat on Thursday to four charges of dangerous driving causing death.

Judge Michael Bourke sentenced Nicholson to a four-year year community corrections order, meaning she will not serve any time behind bars.

Nicholson must complete 500 hours of unpaid community work and has had her driver's licence cancelled for eight years.

She had been on bail throughout the court proceedings.

The conclusion of the long-running case follows several other high profile cases involving traffic collisions and charges of culpable and dangerous driving relating to Ballarat.

Sebastopol's Lionel Calf was convicted and sentenced to a three-year community corrections order in March for two counts of dangerous driving causing death and six counts of dangerous driving causing serious injury after a crash near Avoca.

He was employed to drive 27 passengers to Mildura at the time of the bus crash in 2017.

Ballarat Gold Bus driver Jack Aston was sentenced to five years and three months in jail in December 2018 on six charges of negligent driving causing serious injury for crashing the bus he was driving into the Montague Street Bridge in South Melbourne in 2016.

He was freed from prison 301 days later after winning an appeal where the original convictions were quashed and replaced with six convictions of dangerous driving causing serious injury.

In his concluding remarks on Thursday in Ballarat, Judge Bourke said Nicholson's was "an extremely moving and difficult case".

"This reaches the end of a long and arduous proceeding," he said.

"It hasn't reached the end for many people.

"I express gratitude and admiration of the people who have suffered so much and the way they have conducted themselves throughout."

At an earlier court hearing in February, Nicholson had shown extreme remorse towards the victims and their families.

Nichsolson's Jeep T-boned a Kia driven by Hamilton's Elaine Middleton, 64, and carrying passengers Margaret Ely, 74, also of Hamilton, Heywood's Dianne Barr, 64, and Portland's Claudia Jackson, 72, at the intersection of Stawell-Avoca Road and Ararat-St Arnaud Road at 6pm on May 5, 2018.

The four women, who were returning home after attending a line-dancing competition in St Arnaud, died from their injuries at the scene.

Sixteen victim impact statements from family and friends of the four victims were read in court at the February hearing.

One victim impact statement from a woman who lived at the intersection of the crash was read on Thursday.

"A normal person doesn't prepare to see a person die... to see four is beyond belief," the woman wrote in her statement.

"My home became a war zone and the memory of that night has impacted me every day since."

The woman said seeing the crash, its consequences and constantly being contacted by family members and friends of the victims had led to severe post traumatic stress disorder and night terrors.

"The feeling of waiting for another fatal accident to occur became so intense we had to sell the farm," she said.

"This accident has become so personal. I feel it has taken years off my life."

Judge Bourke said the victim impact statements were compelling and moving expressions of grief.

"There is a serious emotional impact that includes anger and frustration," he said.

"There is an evading sense of loss. The prolonged legal proceedings have caused renewed hurt, anger and frustration."

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Bourke said Nicholson had no criminal history, a good driving record over many years, she showed immense remorse and her moral culpability was low.

He said there were 'exceptional circumstances' for her to avoid a jail term.

"There are ongoing feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness... You have been described as self punishing," Judge Bourke said.

"You are genuinely and highly remorseful."

Judge Bourke said the community corrections order with punishment conditions attempted to reflect the seriousness of the offending.

"Four persons have died because of your driving," he said.

Judge Bourke said what caused Nicholson to fail to stop at the intersection remained unexplained and this was relevant to determining the period of licence disqualification.

"I find you cannot explain it," he said.

Nicholson's daughter and husband supported her in court on Thursday. Her hands shook throughout the reading of the new victim impact statement and sentencing.

A seven-day trial was held at the County Court at Ballarat before Judge Bourke in October, 2019.

The jury found Nicholson not guilty of four counts of culpable driving causing death over the quadruple fatality at Navarre on May 5, 2018, but could not reach a majority verdict on four alternative charges of dangerous driving causing death.

The jury was discharged without reaching a finding.

The maximum sentence for four counts of dangerous driving causing death is 10 years.

Judge Bourke said Nicholson would have been sentenced to eight months prison followed by at least three years of a community corrections order had she pleaded not guilty.

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