Ballarat
Ballarat is a 584-hectare public hunting block in Otago, within the Cardrona / Glenorchy / Shotover permit area. Elevations run from about 681 m up to 2227 m with a median around 1337 m, putting most of the ground in mostly above-the-bushline tops country.
About 36% of the block lies above 1,500 m, giving genuine alpine ground in the upper basins on top of bush and shrubland lower down. Slopes lean east-facing, which shapes where sun, snow and feeding animals concentrate through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes fallow deer, chamois and wild goat. It is in the steep glaciated country around the head of Lake Wakatipu and the Cardrona / Shotover divide.
Open Ballarat on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 1,946 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 681–2,227 m
- Median elevation
- 1,337 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,043–1,650 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 62%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 36%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
681–2,227 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning east-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on this block, which gives charter operators a way to put hunters into upper basins and faces that would otherwise mean a long valley walk. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) is also permitted, meaning commercial helicopters may be working the same country at times — worth factoring into trip timing.
One DOC hut sits within the block: Ballarat Hut - Flood Burn in Skippers area, with mattresses, a non-flush toilet and stream water. It is not bookable — first-come, first-served.
Huts & campsites
Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Ordinary block in the Cardrona/Glenorchy/Shotover permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
Commercial wild-animal recovery (WARO) operates over this area — expect helicopter activity and pressured game.
This block sits within a DOC air-access zone — fly-in hunting and helicopter drop-offs may be permitted.
A DOC hunting permit is required for Ballarat. The block is an Ordinary block with a Permitted hunt status, so permits are issued through the standard online system rather than a ballot. Permits are free but must be carried while hunting.
1080 & pesticide status
No current, planned or proposed pesticide operations intersect this block in our data. Always confirm with DOC before taking a dog in.
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