Ballarat Military Museum

ABOUT

The Ballarat Ranger Military Museum is run by a small band of dedicated volunteers who wish to preserve the military heritage of Ballarat and District and the history of the volunteers/militia/Citizens Military Forces/Army Reserve members who have trained with the units which form the history of the current Ballarat Army Reserve unit the 8th/7th Battalion, The Royal Victoria Regiment.

Museum Manager

Major Neil Leckie, RFD (Ret'd), commenced his military service in 1968 as a National Serviceman at the 2nd Recruit Training Battalion at Puckapunyal, followed by officer training at the Officer Training Unit at Scheyville, NSW. Commissioned into the Infantry Corps, he saw more than 30 years of service with the Corps. Neil Leckie is an avid military historian with publications to his credit including The Bushmen's Rifles, a History of 22 RVR (1999) and Country Victoria's Own, the history of the 8th/7th Battalion (2008). Neil served 10 years as the Executive Officer of 8/7 RVR and Museum Manager before retiring in 2011. After retirement he maintained the position of Manager of the Ballarat Ranger Museum.

Neil Leckie

Bottle green uniform of a Ballarat Volunteer Ranger (1863-1883)

VISIT

Ballarat Ranger Military Museum

Opening Hours:

Thursday 1.00-4.00 pm and 4th Sunday each month 9.00-12.00 noon or by appointment.

Contact Neil 0400 573 802 or John 0481 286 167

or (03) 5330 4500 (business hours)

Entry Fee: Gold Coin Donation

All donations go towards a bigger and better museum.

Location: 1812 Sturt Street, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

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Directions: Drive two kilometres along Sturt Street from the Arch of Victory, turn right into Ring Road and right into the carpark. Enter the Museum through the pedestrian gate from the carpark.

Lt Col Sleep Medal

Officially opened in 1989, the Ballarat Ranger Military Museum is home to a unique collection of local military history. The museum houses a collection of militaria belonging to units which have served Ballarat and district dating back to 1858 when the Ballarat Volunteer Rifle Regiment was formed. Among the displays is the Long and Efficient Service Medal to a former Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Sleep that was awarded in 1881, uniforms of Ballarat's WW1 and WW2 soldiers and modern day memorabilia. Donations of 8/7 memorabilia and other military items are welcome.

Ballarat Ranger Military Museum at Victorian Collections

https://victoriancollections.net.au/organisations/ballarat-ranger-military-museum#collection-records

World War 1 Display Case

VC Corner, 10 VCs

The "old" Ranger Barracks under construction 1885

On 3rd November 1854 the Victorian Colonial Government passed the Volunteer Act (1854). Immediately the Melbourne Volunteer Rifle Regiment was formed, but in January 1856, the Regiment was changed, following a vote of the members, from an infantry unit to the Victoria Volunteer Artillery Regiment.

Ballarat was not far behind, raising its own infantry unit, the Ballarat Volunteer Rifle Regiment, in 1858. Meanwhile, some three weeks later, Bendigo also raised an infantry unit. With a reorganisation in the Victorian Defence Force in 1863 the Ballarat unit became known as the Ballarat Volunteer Rangers.

The volunteers were disbanded in 1883 and a Part-paid Militia force commenced in 1884. The following year construction of a Drill Hall was commenced in Ballarat. It was completed in 1886. This Drill Hall (also known as barracks or depot) remained the home of the Ballarat militia (now Army Reserve) until 2001. The name Ranger Barracks was given to the Drill Hall in 1958 on the centenary of the raising of the Ballarat volunteers.

The Ballarat infantry unit has had many changes in name, and has had many country Victorian and southern NSW towns attached to it, since 1858 â€“ the one constant in the unit being Ballarat. Today the name of the Ballarat infantry unit is the 8th/7th Battalion, The Royal Victoria Regiment (8/7 RVR).

The Ballarat Ranger Military Museum was opened in 1989 and has a Charter to hold, display and maintain the Unit Historical Collection of 8/7 RVR and its predecessor units and the military history of the Ballarat area.

Since 2008 the Ballarat Ranger Military Museum has been located at the rear of the "new" Ranger Barracks that were built in 2003.