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Lake Wendouree and the Ballarat Botanical Gardens

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LenR
LenR
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4 out of 5
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Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens

  • October 24, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens

Lake Wendouree is an artificially created and maintained shallow urban lake near the center of the city. Since 1864, when a rowing course was first cut through the reedy swamp, it has been carefully nurtured by council and public spirited citizens. Unfortunately, due to drought, the water level has fallen considerably so boating use is currently restricted.

Nevertheless, the Lake still has much appeal. As an urban oasis for passive recreation it can provide solitude to refresh the soul with its tranquility and ever-changing light on the water. The mature trees provide shade and a magnificent treeline across the water. It is a healthy and biodiverse ecosystem which provides habitat and island sanctuaries for wildlife. The rowers, sailors, canoeists, sail boarders, and those just messing about in boats all enhance the visual richness of this lovely area. Vintage tram rides are available on weekends.

Located on the western shore of the lake, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens is an invaluable heritage and recreational resource to be enjoyed by residents and visitors. This is one of Australia's most significant cool climate gardens. It contains a remarkable collection of mature trees and marble statues set among colourful bedding displays.

Don’t miss The Statuary Pavilion which houses a fine collection of marble statuary, the result of the Thompson Bequest. Charles Summer's Flight from Pompeii is an elegant reminder of Ballarat's wealth of the 1880s. Then move on to the striking glass Robert Clark Centre which was made possible by an A$2million bequest from the grandson of Mr Robert Clark, the co-founder and proprietor of the Ballarat Courier newspaper. The two components are The Conservatory and the Resource Centre. Ballarat's world famous tuberous begonia collection is displayed here to coincide with the annual Begonia Festival held in March.

The nearby Prisoner of War monument was undoubtedly a highlight for me. It has been designed by well-known sculptor Peter Blizzard with the intention to provide ex-prisoners of war, their descendants, visitors, and future generations with a reflective experience where they can pay homage to those who endured so much in past wars.

The POW monuments' design uses the basic idea of a journey through and an experience of time and place. The start of the pathway is long and straight heading off into the shape of railway sleepers, a reference to the Burma Railway. Running parallel to the pathway is a polished black granite wall, 130m long etched with the names of all the Australian POW's. Standing in a reflective pool are huge basalt obelisks up to 4.5m high with the names of the many POW camps. I found visiting here a very moving experience.

Then we came to the Olympic area. When Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympic Games, Lake Wendouree was the rowing venue. It is a good thing that it is not being held at the moment.

From journal Ballarat's Gold History and Culture

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