In the Frame: How Ballarat's Gold Rush Legacy Created Australia's Photographic Capital

Before dawn on a crisp August morning in 2005, photographer Jeff Moorfoot carefully arranged a series of black and white prints in a converted 19th-century storefront in Daylesford, a small spa town in Victoria's goldfields. Stepping back to survey his work, Moorfoot couldn't have anticipated how his modest exhibition would evolve into Australia's most significant photographic event, or that the gold-rush history surrounding him would prove pivotal to its success.

After hosting two successful iterations in Daylesford, Moorfoot made the fateful decision in 2009 to relocate his growing festival to nearby Ballarat—a move that would transform both the event and the city's cultural identity. What had begun as a passion project soon tapped into something more profound: the deep resonance between Ballarat's architectural legacy and the art of photography itself, both products of the same Victorian era that saw the concurrent rise of gold-rush prosperity and photographic innovation.

"Ballarat was built with gold money at precisely the same time photography was establishing itself as a medium," explains Fiona Sweet, who took over as Creative Director in 2017. "In the 1850s, when these extraordinary Victorian buildings were being constructed, photography was emerging from its experimental phase into widespread cultural significance. There's a beautiful symmetry to showing contemporary photography in spaces built during photography's infancy."

This serendipitous historical alignment is most evident in the biennale's flagship venue, the National Centre for Photography, housed in the heritage-listed former Union Bank building in Ballarat's historic center. Built in 1863-64 when the goldfields were producing unprecedented wealth, the building features the grand proportions and classical detailing typical of the era's institutional architecture. The soaring ceilings and natural light that once impressed banking clients now create ideal conditions for viewing photographic works.

But the relationship between Ballarat's gold-rush heritage and the biennale extends beyond architectural convenience. The city's identity was forged during a period of rapid change, massive immigration, and cultural collision—themes that resonate through the contemporary photographic work showcased during each festival. "Many of our exhibitions explore questions of identity, displacement, rapid technological change, and environmental impact," notes current Artistic Director and CEO Vanessa Gerrans. "These are conversations that were equally relevant during the gold rush."

The biennale's physical expansion throughout Ballarat mirrors the historical pattern of the city's development during the gold rush. Just as the discovery of gold in 1851 transformed a sleepy pastoral settlement into a bustling metropolis with distinct neighborhoods and purposes, the biennale has grown to encompass diverse venues across the urban landscape. From the stately Art Gallery of Ballarat (Australia's oldest regional gallery) to the industrial spaces of the Mining Exchange, and from historic churches to contemporary cafes, the festival creates a photography-led journey through layers of history.

This distributed exhibition model serves both practical and philosophical purposes. Practically, it allows for a scale and diversity impossible in a single venue. Philosophically, it encourages visitors to experience Ballarat as a palimpsest—a text written over many times, with traces of each era remaining visible. As visitors move between exhibition spaces, they physically navigate the city's historical narrative, from gold-rush prosperity through industrial decline to cultural renaissance.

The biennale's success has catalyzed broader cultural change in Ballarat. Since its relocation to the city in 2009, property owners have increasingly repurposed historic buildings for creative and cultural uses. The establishment of the National Centre for Photography in 2018 represented a pivotal moment, securing a permanent home for photographic arts in what was once a temple to gold-rush finance.

As the 11th Ballarat International Foto Biennale approaches in 2025, centered around the theme "Lifeforce," the event continues to evolve while maintaining its distinctive connection to place. Headline exhibitions will include works by acclaimed British-Ghanaian photographer Campbell Addy, whose exhibition "I Love Campbell" explores identity and visibility, and a specially curated presentation of Robert Mapplethorpe's iconic images by former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful.

What began as a photographer's dream has become an event of international significance that transforms Ballarat every two years into Australia's photographic capital. In doing so, it has written a new chapter in the city's history—one that builds upon rather than replaces its gold-rush legacy. Through the lens of contemporary photography, visitors experience Ballarat as a living historical document, where past and present exist in constant dialogue, illuminating each other across the centuries.