Ballarat Major Events Precinct locks in head contractor

The Ballarat Major Event Precinct has reached a key milestone with the awarding of the Head Contractor.

Member for Wendouree, Juliana Addison MP, representing Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, on Wednesday announced Victorian-based Kane Construction and Nicholson Construction Joint Venture will lead the redevelopment of the Ballarat Major Events Precinct (previously known as the Eureka Sports Precinct).

Kane and Nicholson Construction will utilise their extensive experience in delivering high quality regional and community projects, including the multi-award-winning Ballarat GovHub and the recent Bendigo Law Courts Development.

Upgrades to the precinct include 5,000 new permanent seats at Mars Stadium, increasing the seating capacity to 10,000. The new seats also mean more amenities and more food and beverage options so spectators will have an even better experience at the venue.

A new athletics track and pavilion will be located on the former Ballarat Showgrounds site, with additional elements such as lighting, landscaping and a storage shed.

Accessibility improvements throughout the precinct will ensure anyone with mobility needs can still enjoy the venues.

These upgrades will boost local jobs and businesses, and attract more visitors to the Ballarat region for years to come.

Construction works at Mars Stadium are set to begin in early 2025.

The Victorian Government is also supporting Ballarat’s Major Events Precinct through an upgrade of Frank Bourke Oval in partnership with the City of Ballarat.

For more information about the Regional Sports Infrastructure Program, visit sport.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Member for Wendouree, Juliana Addison MP

“The Ballarat Major Events Precinct will deliver even better sporting facilities for the Ballarat community, and enhance the region’s capacity to host fantastic sport and entertainment events.

“I’m pleased to say that Kane Nicholson have a large proportion of local Ballarat residents on their team, and it’s great to see this project contributing in such a major way to the local economy.”

Quotes attributable to City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves

“The designs of the Ballarat Major Events Precinct look incredible, and we cannot wait to see construction work starting to take place. 

"The new athletics facility and Mars Stadium upgrade will enhance our capability to attract bigger more diverse events to Ballarat. This significant investment complements and builds on the existing work already seen at Mars Stadium over many years.”