Thank you to everyone who responded to the request for feedback and thoughts on future library services in Wendouree. This round of community engagement was undertaken from 24 June 2025 to 23 October 2025. It built on previous community engagement about future library services in Wendouree that occurred in April 2022.

Congratulations to the winners of the 3 x $100 grocery vouchers - won by Bronwyn, Jen and Ethan.

• Overview

This stage of community engagement was to provide information to residents in Wendouree and neighbouring suburbs, and the whole Ballarat community more broadly. We wanted to bring together our community’s ideas and insights by consulting on current library use, program and services preferences and also any perceived barriers or concerns about accessing a new library building at Weeramar Park in Wendouree. We also wanted to demonstrate strong support for this project to continue to advocate for support and funding for this project across all levels of government.

• What we heard

There were 2,226 visitors to the My Say page and 361 contributions were received.

• 26% of those responding live in Wendouree and a further 13% work in Wendouree. Just over half of the respondents, 52%, indicted that Wendouree Library is their usual library branch.
• 59% of respondents indicated they regularly use a library branch. A further 31% of respondents indicated they use a library facility occasionally.
• Importantly, where respondents were asked to rank how important it is to have a new library in Wendouree, 70% of respondents rated a new library facility in Wendouree at the highest level of 5 (‘very important’). A further 18% chose scale 4 of importance.

The survey also asked respondents to rank features in a new library that would make it more accessible and inclusive for community. From highest to lowest, respondents ranked:

• accessible parking and entrances,
• the provision of public toilets that include accessible facilities
• quiet study areas

We particularly wanted to know if people had any concerns about accessing a library in the Weeramar Park. 83% of people answered this question. 54% were positive about the library being in the park. 25% were neutral, 12% mixed and 8% negative.

• What’s next

Council was provided with a report on the engagement at the December 10 meeting. At that meeting, Council endorsed Weeramar Park, located at the corner of Gillies Street and Norman Street in Wendouree, as the site of the future Wendouree Library.

The results of the engagement, including community suggestions and ideas has been provided to the consulting architects and will be used to inform their design work for a proposed library building. Your feedback will also be used to build Council’s advocacy efforts to all levels of government, towards securing funding for this building project.

Further engagement on detailed designs will occur in the first half of 2026. Opportunities to participate in this phase of engagement will be advertised on the MySay page and on the Ballarat Libraries Facebook page. To stay informed, you can 'follow' this project (located in the banner at the top of the page) or subscribe to our MySay newsletter.

Read the full Community Engagement Summary Report here.

• The current library at Stockland Wendouree is only 250m², with no space to grow.
• Residents have told us they want more room, better access, and a welcoming place to connect and learn.
• The new library will serve more than 40,000 people across Wendouree, Ballarat North, Invermay, Miners Rest and nearby areas.
• Wendouree Library and Learning Centre is a key initiative under the Libraries and Learning Strategy 2022–2027 and the Community Infrastructure Plan 2022–2037
• Council has committed $1.2 million toward design — your input will help demonstrate community support as we work in partnership with State and Federal Government to secure construction funding.

We’re in the early design phase. This consultation will help us:

• Understand what services and spaces matter most
• Inform the design and layout of the new library
• Build a strong case for government partnership and funding

The Wendouree Library and Learning Centre is one of four Tier One Advocacy Priority Projects for the City of Ballarat – transformational initiatives that drive regional development, job creation, investment, sustainability, and improved social outcomes.

The City of Ballarat remains committed to advocating across all levels of government to deliver this much-needed community facility through a strong partnership model.