The Gardens were established in the 1858..the garden is set on 40 hectare and the trees planted here go way back in history..Californian redwoods, imposing swamp cypresses, Turkey oaks, druid oaks and weeping elms and they were all planted between 1863 and 1874...Its one of Australia's oldest and finest gardens and is now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Through out the gardens there are lots of lovely displays of Begonia's
They also have a Prime Ministers Ave featuring bronze busts of every Australian Prime Minister.
Right in the middle is Lake Wendoree....
The plaque on a monument opposite Pleasant Street school states, ‘Near this spot was the camp of the first resident of Ballarat, William Yuille’. In the autumn of 1838 the young Scotsman drove his flock of sheep to the shores of the swamp which was first known as Black Swamp because it was dark with thickly growing reeds. To the miners it was known as Yuille’s Swamp.
A squatter’s diary of 1850 records that there were many Koories camped around the swamp and by a little stream that ran down from it. Hundreds of kangaroos and emus fed on the grassy plateau.
The name Wendouree comes from the aboriginal word ‘wendaaree’ which means ‘go away’. The story is told that when William Yuille asked an aboriginal woman the name of the swamp, that was her reply.
When Ballarat was first surveyed in 1851 by WS Urquhart the swamp was recorded as Wendouree.
Many years ago Lake Wendouree was originally a stream which flowed to the west but a lava flow caused it to be dammed on three sides and it now drains to the east, eventually into the Yarrowee River.
Finished off the day at Pancake Kitchen... we also ordered a banana milk shake OMG it was THICK with ice cream we could hardly suck it...
The pancakes were yummy !!!!!!!
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