Ballarat a city of choice for Victoria's Hindu families

The insight, from The Ballarat Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre, comes after another hugely successful Ganesh Festival, a major three-day Hindu event drawing an estimated 6000 people to the city.

The event, held at Ballarat High School from Friday, September 22 to Sunday, September 24, drew visitors from Geelong, Bendigo, Bacchus Marsh and Melbourne.

Centre president Dr Pradush Narayanan said he expected some of these Hindu families would move here after experiencing the city's multiculturalism, joining the estimated 4000 Hindu residents who now called Ballarat home.

He said current Hindu families included those from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bali. .

Most recently, there were 10 Nepali families, some Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan families.

People had moved to Australia for various reasons but the reason they stayed was the feeling of community and particularly in regional areas.

"The (state) government has been talking about the benefits of people living in regional cities," Dr Narayanan said.

"Not only do some of these families want to move to the region because of the work nature, but when they come here, they see we are really more engaged."

He said he knew of five Hindu families who moved to Ballarat last year after attending the Ganesh Festival and loved the inclusiveness. The 2022 festival, at Ballarat Showgrounds, attracted 7000 people over five days.

"So many families moved during COVID-19 and found the support systems so good that they wanted to stay further," Dr Narayanan said.

"The reason they stay is the community feeling."

Events like the Ganesh Festival aim to bring the community together and promote multiculturalism.

One of the event's successful programs targeted children and aimed to give them an awareness of Hindu culture, supporting the multicultural programs taught in Ballarat schools.

This included demonstrating how an Indian woman might wear a sari and raise awareness of why they wear that cultural dress.

Dr Narayanan said local groups on social media had played a part in driving further connection, with lots of questions from the broader community. He said people had been very supportive.

"I'm part of a lot of different groups on social media and what I noticed is people asking a lot of questions - what is happening at Ballarat High School?" he said.

"People were giving a lot of positive feedback about it."

Cultural centre media officer Nithiya Krishnan said there had been strong local support, from Ballarat High School, whose grounds hosted the weekend's event, to the City of Ballarat and the state government.

"I want to thank them for their support," she said.

"It's so heartwarming to see that we are allowed here. That's the important thing," she said.

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