Sebastopol Town Hall complex

The Sebastopol Town Hall complex at 183-5 Albert Street, developed primarily between the 1860s and 1960s, encompassing the following significant elements:

- Remains of the former Shire Hall (bluestone with slate roof at rear of complex), built in 1868. 

- Borough Hall, built 1960. 

- King George V memorial drinking fountain, dedicated 1936. 

- Maternal Child Health Centre, 1960s. 

- Former Borough Offices (bluestone section).

- Neville F Donald Park (former Mayor of Sebastopol), dedicated 1994. 

- Soldiers Memorial, erected 1937. 

- Honour Roll for WWI and WWII, erected 2006. 

- Bicentennial Cairn, erected 1988. 

- Mature English Elm. 

The Sebastopol Town Hall complex is of historic, social and architectural significance to the City of Ballarat. 

The 1960 Borough Hall is of historical significance as a multi-purpose civic building constructed in 1960 to replace the earlier Town Hall and office (erected in 1868). The remnants of the 1868 Town Hall are of historical significance as the earliest representation of local governance for the township and the Borough. The collection of war memorials has significance for commemorating those members of the local community who served in the great wars. The 1936 King George V drinking fountain is significant for commemorating not only his reign, but celebrating his visit to Sebastopol in 1901. (Criterion A)

The addition of a Maternal and Child Health Centre c1960s is also of historical significance, as it reflects the importance of the baby health movement and the growing trend for health services to be integrated into municipal operations, particularly in rural areas. (Criterion A)

The Sebastopol Town Hall complex is of social significance as the focus of civic and community life in the former Borough of Sebastopol for over 150 years. It has provided a site for the Sebastopol community to gather, debate, celebrate and commemorate. Although the Borough was amalgamated into the City of Ballarat in the 1990s, the centre continues to play an important role in providing a range of services and activities to the local community. (Criterion G)

The 1960 Town Hall, Borough Offices, Library and Maternal and Child Health Centre are architecturally significant as an example of postwar architecture exhibiting typical design features of this period. These design features include a strong horizontal form with projecting entrance bay with a cantilevered concrete parapet. The Maternal and Child Health Centre has particularly interesting detailing, including a window wall of blue and white glazing and a panel of coloured tiles arranged in a decorative pattern. (Criterion E)