An estimated 1750 athletes, coaches, and staff will be heading to Ballarat for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but where will they stay?
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The clock is ticking, and among other major infrastructure improvements, the athlete's village could be one of the more time consuming to plan, develop, and build.
Ballarat will be home to the athletics, para-athletics, boxing, and some games of T20 cricket in 2026, joining other regional cities across the state as part of an innovative "Victorian" games.
According to the state government, as well as upgrades to Mars Stadium, "a proportion of the village (will) be converted into affordable and social housing".
It's not known how many buildings will be required, nor where they would go.
City of Ballarat chief executive Evan King said it's "early days" in the planning process, and a location has not yet been chosen.
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"What is important is that we get the right model for that housing, that ensures a really good legacy for Ballarat moving forward," he said.
"We know there is a significant shortage of housing and a significant shortage of diversity of housing, so we need to make sure that the housing that is built for Commonwealth Games village is built in the right locations in the right configuration with the right diversity that provides a really good housing legacy for the city of Ballarat for generations to come.
"It's a fantastic opportunity, but certainly not the solution to everything."
Federation University housing economics professor George Earl estimated up to 800 dwellings would be required, as well as appropriate connections to the city.
"The government - at a local, state, and federal level - should see the provision of land to develop this housing is not just short-term, it's actually infrastructure for the region, so it can be done, they have to ensure they've got the land and the ability to do it, the ability to get through the process," he said.
"It's interesting, on the Gold Coast, where I live, we had the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and next door to Griffith University was where the village was - it provides key worker accommodation, and it's it's also very close to the major Gold Coast hospital.
"The important thing about this social and integrated infrastructure is about retention of key workers in the region, because when you lose those key workers, you have a real issue after the games.
"I'm a real positive person for regionalism, I think it's so important to the economic development of Australia, and if we're going to have regionalism, decentralisation, we need strong housing and infrastructure - I think these games are a monstrous positive if it's done properly."
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