Ballarat Tramways

The tramways of Ballarat have been operated by a number of different companies.

The first tramway operator was the Ballaarat Tramway Company which established and ran the horse trams in Ballarat from 1887 to 1903.

The Electric Supply Company of Victoria (ESCo) purchased the horse tram business in 1903. It gradually electrified the system and started running electric trams in 1905. The last horse tram service closed in 1913 when the Sebastopol line was finally electrified.

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SEC) took over ESCo's business in 1929, although ESCo continued to act as operator until 30 June 1934.

The SEC closed the tramway system on 29 July 1971. Most of the track was pulled out and overhead wiring removed soon after.

A group of people interested in trying to preserve a part of the system formed the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society (BTPS) in 1971.

The BTPS were able to save a short section of track in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and six trams. They commenced running the Ballarat Vintage Tramway on 26 December 1974. In 1995 they changed their name to the Ballarat Tramway Museum.