Ballarat is set to honour its namesake Royal Australian Navy ship with a special military procession.
Commissioned in 2004, the HMAS Ballarat is an Anzac Class, long-range warship with advanced air defence, surface and undersea warfare capabilities.
On Sunday 15 March at 10.30am, the HMAS Ballarat crew will be honoured in Ballarat with Freedom of Entry – the highest honour a city can give a military unit and a tradition dating back to Roman times.
The military procession will start at the intersection of Sturt and Grenville streets and travel up Sturt Street, past the Ballarat Town Hall to the Ballarat Cenotaph.
Swords will be drawn, bayonets fixed, drums beating, colours flying and the band playing to commemorate the city’s connection to the navy vessel.
It's only the third time in 20 years that the City of Ballarat has granted Freedom of Entry to the HMAS Ballarat crew.
For the safety of participants and road users, the following traffic alterations will be in place from 8am-12pm:
- The west-bound lanes of Sturt St, from Grenville St to Lyons St Sth (Grenville St will remain open)
- Armstrong St Sth, from Bath Lane to Sturt St
- A partial closure of Lyons St Sth between Dana St and Sturt St
