page_title: Trams in Ballarat
section_title: 1930s — SECV era
hierarchical_section_title: Trams in Ballarat / 1930s — SECV era
caption_attribution_description: English: Old sign from the Ballarat tramways now at the Ballarat Tram Museum, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
context_page_description: Trams in Ballarat were first used for public transport in 1887. They ceased to operate as a means of public transport in 1971, but a section continues to be operated today as a tourist attraction.
  At its peak in 1937, the Ballarat tramway network was the largest in Australia operating outside one of the capital cities, with 7 principal routes and more than 20 kilometres of track.
  Most of the network was closed and replaced with buses on 19 September 1971
  after which the Ballarat Tramway Museum preserved a single electrified track along Wendouree Parade at Lake Wendouree to operate a tourist service. From its depot adjacent to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, the museum operates its historic collection of electric trams from around Australia, including some that were operated on the original Ballarat system.
context_section_description: The State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) acquired the network in 1934.
  In 1936, the state government proposed to extend the Lydiard Street route to the Ballaarat New Cemetery and Ballarat North.
  Despite strong patronage, the system posted its first significant loss in 1937 of £6013. At the time, the Ballarat network was one of the largest such systems in Australia, behind that of Sydney (181 miles (291 km)), Brisbane (65 miles (105 km)), Melbourne (64 miles (103 km)), Perth (57 miles (92 km)), Adelaide (35 miles (56 km)) and Hobart (18 miles (29 km)), but larger than that of Newcastle, Launceston (11.3 miles (18.2 km)), Geelong (11 miles (18 km)) and Bendigo (8.1 miles (13.0 km)).
caption: Old sign from the Ballarat tramways
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