The Ballarat Community Server was an initiative of a non-profit organization auspiced by the City of Ballarat, known as C-Ballarat Ltd, and had its origins in the early 2000s.

C-Ballarat

The name C-Ballarat originated in the 1990s and stood for Connected Ballarat. During this period, organizations often formed to advocate for improved digital connectivity, infrastructure, and skills locally.

Focus: The organization was a community-focused group dedicated to building connections, sharing knowledge among local tech workers, and advocating for the needs of the burgeoning Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in the Ballarat region.

This effort took place against a backdrop of Ballarat's established history of technical innovation, dating back to the School of Mines Ballarat (SMB) in 1870 and the establishment of the Ballarat Technology Park (associated with Federation University) in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Transition to Ballarat ICT

As Ballarat’s tech sector matured, with large employers like IBM establishing a major presence and the Technology Park growing, the need arose for a more formal, incorporated body to represent the industry's interests to local, state, and federal governments.

Ballarat ICT Ltd (Information and Communications Technology) emerged as this formal body. It shifted the focus from general community organizing to specific industry development, policy advocacy, and economic growth.

The organization played a key role in promoting Ballarat as a desirable location for technology businesses and skilled workers, essentially acting as the unified voice for the region's digital economy.

In short, C-Ballarat served as the grassroots, foundational network that later professionalized its mission and structure to become Ballarat ICT Ltd, ensuring the long-term strategic growth of the region's digital industry.

This organization played a leading role in the establishment of the Australian Community Geographic Domain Names initiative.

The Australian Community Geographic Domain Names (CGDNs), which include the state and territory second-level domains like .vic.au, were formally introduced in 2004 by the .au Domain Administration (auDA).

Genesis: The concept originated in Bathurst, NSW, around 2000 with a group proposing "One City One Site" to ensure geographic names belonged to the communities, not just commercial interests.

Pilot Project: Following recommendations, auDA sponsored a 12-month pilot project in 2004 that trialed the allocation and use of CGDNs in three regional communities, including Ballarat, along with Bathurst and Wollongong.

Purpose: The domains (like townname.vic.au) were created to provide a standardized naming system for community websites that reflect local interests such as culture, tourism, local events, and non-profit groups, reserving these place names for public community use.

Reference: Community Geographic Domain Names (CGDNs) (2008-04)

C-Ballarat established the registration of the domain name 'ballarat.vic.au.' Following this, C-Ballarat, through the sponsorship of the City of Ballarat, set up the Ballarat Community Server service, which has, since its inception, been hosted and managed by Lateral Plains Pty Ltd.

The community representative organisation that currently holds the registration for the ballarat.vic.au domain name is the Committee for Ballarat.