Back in June I gave a presentation on A Faster Future in the regional Victoria city of Ballarat, organised by the University of Ballarat Technology Park and the local ICT association, Ballarat ICT. If you’ve never been there, Ballarat is a city that rose to prominence during the Victoria gold rush of the 19th century, and today has a population of 90,000. It is growing quickly, partially as a result of its comparatively lower cost of living than nearby Melbourne while still being within commuting distance, and it has also developed as a major regional centre with its own industry and services base.
It was a great turnout, including senior personnel from the University, the local State Member of Parliament Sharon Knight and various business leaders from around the region. What impressed me mot was the hunger for information on new technologies and services and how they could improve the lives of people living in the region, and also the commitment shown to developing the city as an ICT hub.
To that end, the City of Ballarat has organised Ballarat GIG: Get Into Games, Australia’s largest regional computer games career expo, which will be held at the Ballarat Mining Exchange on the 22nd and 23rd of July. Speakers include GDAA CEO Tony Reed, and presentations from Australian developers Big Ant and Firemint, amongst others. Ballarat GIG has been running since 2006, and includes presentations from local education institutions and teacher specific workshops.