It's a wee bit longer than that, but it IS dual lane all the way, which makes for a reasonable drive. But I'm reading into their business plan that it is not so much about whether your capital airport is more convenient. Third airlines that failed in Aus like Compass and Impulse failed when Aus was a very different place. Who knows how this will go, but good on em for having a crack!
Did Impulse fail did it? I thought it was repainted silver with a big orange star on it....
In any case, no one serves Ballarat as the runway is not long enough to provide even viable turboprop service. Again the point would be to offer an alternative to Melbourne for Western Victorian travelers as well as a cheap option for low cost airlines to draw passengers from Melbourne. It matters nowt now as the land has been used up for other purposes and residential encroachment means there's no chance of the current site being used for such a purpose.