The City of Ballarat is inviting the community to help shape the future of Llanberris Reserve. With engagement open from Thursday 16 April to Thursday 28 May 2026, there are many opportunities to be involved in shaping how this much-loved space can best serve the community for many years to come. To help inform this conversation, we've shared information about the site and the factors that shape what is achievable, the stories and experiences that reflect the role that Llanberris Reserve has played in our community, and how we are inviting people to be involved. Together, these sections provide the context, history and voices needed to shape a shared vision for the Reserve.

Llanberris Reserve has a rich history and distinctive character that will shape what might be achievable into the future. These characteristics provide important future context for how change can be thoughtfully and sustainably delivered over time. These characteristics include:

• Soil contamination: In keeping with the site's mining history, soil testing has identified some soil contamination within the site. The overall risk to community is considered to be low. However, larger-scale construction or major groundworks would require further investigation and treatment, which could potentially affect the financial feasibility of some options.
• Topography: Shaped by the historic Llanberris No 1 shaft, the Reserve's varied topography creates distinct character areas across the site. While the steeper slopes limit visibility and access, the flatter parts of the Reserve offer strong opportunities to reimagine a community space that best serves the community for years to come.
• Heritage considerations: Llanberris Reserve may contain archaeological deposits, features and artefacts relating to the location of the Golden Point Chinese Camp that operated from 1855 to 1936. These heritage elements provide added significance to the site and are protected under Victorian heritage controls. As the community's vision for the Reserve becomes clearer during this engagement further investigation will need to be undertaken, ensuring the future changes respect this important history.
• Existing infrastructure: The athletics track, buildings and other infrastructure provide a strong foundation for reimagining how the Reserve may be used. These elements offer opportunities to support community activity, connection and activation, adapting existing assets in ways that deliver lasting community benefit.
• Budgets: Future improvements identified through the engagement will be considered over time through City of Ballarat budgets, external funding opportunities or advocacy. This staged approach in response to community priorities will allow the reserve to evolve over time.

This engagement focuses on the area within the blue line shown on the map below, which includes the athletics track, onsite parking areas, and existing buildings such as the Llanberris Reserve Pavilion, the storage sheds and the Tom Roberts Pavilion. The two clubrooms on the corner of Young and York Streets, currently home to the Harriers and Ballarat YCW, as well as the neighbouring Netball Stadium are not within the scope of this engagement.

If you haven't been to Llanberris Reserve, or need to refresh your memory of what it looks like we encourage you to 'walk' through the Reserve virtually with this 3D rendering.

The Reimagining Llanberris engagement is an important first step in shaping how this much-loved space can best serve the community for years to come. This engagement will inform the long-term vision and priorities for the Reserve. By getting involved at this stage, the community can help ensure that the future actions reflect what people value most, before any designs or decisions are made.

We are asking the community to share with us how they might reimagine Llanberris Reserve. We are asking people to share their ideas about what they believe the best use of the site might be, what matters most, how they would like to use the Reserve in the future, and how the existing infrastructure - including buildings, paths and other features - could support community use over time. We want to know what might make it feel inviting and inclusive - especially for those who may not have used the space before. We are also keen to hear about any concerns or considerations that should be kept in mind as the Reserve evolves over time, so future plans are grounded, realistic and reflective of community values.

In addition to the opportunities to engage with the project that we have shared via this page, we will be holding conversations with a broad range of community members including nearby residents, kindergarten and school-aged children, youth, current site users and those with connections to the Reserve, community organisations and state government representatives, to get a broader understanding of what the best future use of the site might be. This list is not in order of importance or exhaustive. If you would like to be contacted about this project, we encourage you to contact the Community Engagement team by Phone: 5320 5500 or Email: mysay@ballarat.vic.gov.au.

We are using a mix of online and face-to-face methods to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have a say:

• MySay project page with an online and printable survey and project updates
• Engagement sessions onsite at Llanberris Reserve for open discussion and to share information about the project
• Ongoing engagement with current Reserve users to ensure a smooth transition to the new Ballarat Major Events Precinct
• Direct engagement with community groups and stakeholders
• Workshops with young people and children
• Letterbox drops to nearby residents
• Signage in high traffic areas within and around the Reserve
• Social media, email updates and newsletters to keep our community informed
• Vox pops at school sports days

Elements of the project that engagement can influence:

• The future vision for the Reserve - How Llanberris Reserve supports everyday use and be welcoming to people of all ages and abilities.
• Priorities for improvement including what role the Reserve should play in the future and ideas for its future use.
• How existing infrastructure could be used including the buildings on the site, the athletics track and other infrastructure such as paths, lighting, seating and open areas.
• How community groups may activate the Llanberris Reserve Pavilion for community benefit.

Elements of the project that engagement cannot influence:

• Llanberris Reserve will soon retire as a competitive athletics venue when current users transition to the new Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre, which is due for completion later in 2026. The new athletics facility will provide modern, accessible, and sustainable competition-standard infrastructure to support sport at every level.
• Future use of the Reserve must comply with current zoning requirements, respect heritage protections, consider soil conditions and site safety, and manage topography, visibility and passive surveillance.
• Changes will be staged over time in line with available funding, site constraints and community priorities identified through this engagement.

• Follow this project on MySay for updates and opportunities to have your say
• Look out for social media posts, community newsletters and signage at the Reserve
• Attend any of the in person engagement sessions at Llanberris Reserve
• Come and have fun on the Reserve at the Community Open Day
• After the engagement closes, we will publish a "What We Heard" report to show how your feedback influenced the plan