The Victorian Government is investing $655 million to redevelop and expand the Ballarat Base Hospital.
DCWC is delivering comprehensive Quantity Surveying services for the Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) on this project. The redevelopment of Ballarat Base Hospital will introduce major enhancements, featuring a multilevel hospital tower and a new emergency department that includes a hub for mental health, alcohol, and other drugs, along with an expanded women and children’s centre and a modernised theatre suite. In addition, the project will add 100 more inpatient and short-stay beds, a newly enlarged critical care floor, and a new helipad. The facility will also feature a larger parking area with 400 additional spaces, a central energy plant with supportive services, updated pharmacy and pathology areas, and a new Education and Learning Centre.
The expanded critical care floor will feature operating theatres, procedure rooms, a larger intensive care unit, endoscopy suites, and consulting rooms. The revamped women's and children's centre will include 23 maternity beds, five birthing suites, and 12 special care nursery cots, enhancing the facilities available for patients and families.
Additionally, the project will create a new main entrance and emergency department entrance on Sturt Street. This new access point will enhance convenience for patients, families, and emergency vehicles, while also providing much-needed short-term parking and safe drop-off areas.
These upgrades will increase capacity to treat an extra 18,000 emergency patients and 14,500 inpatients per year. While new models of care and new design guidelines allow the redevelopment to be flexible and responsive to the increasing demand expected over the coming years.
The project is being delivered in three stages:
Stage 1 - Initial Development (Completed)
The Ballarat-based construction company H. Troon was engaged to carry out the first phase of the decanting process. This stage involved moving specific hospital operations to enable crucial demolition work while maintaining service continuity during the construction. In 2022, the Eildon House and Edward Wilson Building on Drummond St at Ballarat Base Hospital were brought down to clear the site for the upcoming redevelopment phase. This set the foundation for the building of a new Central Energy Plant and Support Services Building (CEPSS).
Stage 2 - Central Energy Plant and Parking Structure (Completed)
John Holland has been chosen to construct the Central Energy Plant and Support Services Building (CEPSS), which will include a new pharmacy and an education centre. Construction began in 2022, with an expected completion date in 2024. Furthermore, John Holland will manage a major expansion of the hospital's multideck carpark, completed in 2024. This has increased the hospital's parking capacity to approximately 800 spaces.
Stage 3 - Primary Construction (In Progress)
Built has been awarded the contract to develop the new multi-level hospital tower. This facility will house a new emergency department, a women's and children's centre, along with additional inpatient and short-stay beds. Construction is set to start progressively in 2024, with an anticipated completion by late 2027.
The redevelopment will also boost employment in the region, with more than 1,400 jobs expected to be created during the construction phase. Once fully operational, up to 1,000 extra positions will be created at the hospital.
April 2025 progress:
Image: Artist's impression of Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment site courtesy of VHBA.
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