It comes as a group of about 15 people gathered outside the Ballarat Town Hall on Tuesday morning to protest the ongoing restrictions.

The protest was broken up by police, with one person issued with a penalty notice.

Ballarat police's Acting Inspector Stacey Glenister said police were aware of ongoing planned protest activities and had formulated a response to it.

"Our view is that they are putting the health of the broader community at risk," Acting Inspector Glenister said.

If other people at the protest are identified and found to be breaching restrictions then they too will be issued with fines.

Police conducted roving patrols around the city throughout the rest of the day to ensure there was no further protest activity.

It comes as a group of Ballarat residents have been communicating in a private group for several months about how to "take back their freedoms" in the face of restrictions put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The Courier has chosen not to name the group or on which platform it can be found.

Posts have ranged from organising group meet-ups across the city to discuss strategies, to encouraging members to rip down tape and fences around playgrounds that are closed due to the latest lockdown and sharing information about businesses to support that are sympathetic to their cause.

Related coverage: Council condemns anti-lockdown playground plotting

Some posts have included photos of vandalism carried out by members of the group, while others discuss resisting "pressure" to get vaccinated and misinformation about a method to "cure" people who have been jabbed by eating clay.

Acting Inspector Glenister said police would continue to monitor the activity and patrol the region to ensure compliance with the Chief Health Officer's directions.

"These are troubling times and we understand people are hurting out there but if we all do the right thing hopefully we will get through this in the shortest possible time."

She praised the vast majority of the community for abiding by restrictions.

"We are all in this together. Most of the community is doing the right thing and we thank and commend those people for it."

But she added that anybody found to be deliberately breaching the directions or inciting others to could expect a hefty penalty.

"Unfortunately there is a minority that are agitating and who are not doing the right thing. If we see any breaches we will take action as required," Acting Inspector Glenister said.

While police have their own intelligence gathering avenues about planned protest activity, Acting Inspector Glenister encouraged anybody who sees breaches of directions to contact police, including about social media activity.

"All notifications are taken seriously and we do respond to all notifications about breaches that come to us."

Reports can be made by calling 000 as the breach is happening or by calling the Police Assistance Line on 131 444. Confidential reports can also be made by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or by filing a report on the Crime Stoppers website.

Our team of local journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the Ballarat community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: