Ararat

Ararat is a historic regional city in western Victoria, Australia, within the Ararat Rural City local government area, about 205 kilometres west of Melbourne. Established after the 1857 Canton Lead gold discovery, it is the gateway to the Grampians National Park. The town is notable for its well-preserved 19th-century architecture, Chinese gold-rush heritage, wineries of the Grampians Wine Region, and cultural institutions including the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre and Ararat Gallery TAMA.

Visitors can expect a compact regional city centre with heritage streetscapes, 19th-century public buildings, galleries and museums, surrounded by parklands, gardens and the Ararat Hills. The town serves as a base for exploring the Grampians. Visitors can explore the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre, Ararat Gallery TAMA housed in the former Town Hall, Alexandra Gardens on the town lake, J Ward former gaol complex, local wineries and cellar doors, and walking and cycling trails with views toward the Grampians ranges.

Ararat was established following the discovery of gold at Canton Lead in May 1857, which triggered a major gold rush. Thousands of miners, including a large Chinese community, settled the area. The town retains significant gold-rush era buildings, including the former Town Hall (1899), and sites associated with Chinese mining heritage. It later developed as a service centre for agriculture and as a regional administrative centre.

Ararat is located on the traditional lands of the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali peoples. The town is recognised for its Chinese-Australian heritage linked to the 1850s gold rush, interpreted at the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre, and for its contemporary arts culture centred on Ararat Gallery TAMA, one of Victoria's oldest regional galleries, and its role as gateway to the Grampians (Gariwerd) cultural landscape.