The City of Ballarat's historical collection is made up of organisation-generated records in the form of ledgers, papers, photographs, artworks, items of furniture and ephemera documenting municipal operations since the 1850s. Together, this collection forms a comprehensive insight into some significant events in not just local or Victorian history, but into Australian narratives of the 1850s’ gold rush, early migration and settlement, self-government in the colonies, and the push for democracy born on the Ballarat goldfields.

The collection is primarily stored in the Ballarat Town Hall in Sturt Street and has gradually been added to throughout the municipality's evolution.