Lake Wendouree

We arrived in Ballarat in time for brunch so Ness chose the Ballarat Botanical Gardens as a scenic pit stop. The guide books emphasise that the 40 hectare gardens are enhanced by their proximity to Lake Wendouree so it sounded an ideal spot despite the rain.

What, no water?




The guide books fail to mention that due to a combination of drought and local government mismanagement Lake Wendouree has been empty since 2005. A rescue program to refill the lake using storm water and recycled waste water will commence when the necessary $2.2 million has been raised.

This was a seriously large well utilised lake, and was used to host the Olympic rowing and kayaking events in the 1956 Olympics. It begs the question just how much tourist and recreational revenue the 'Lake City' has lost while dithering about investing such a small sum to rectify the problem.

They could always commission 'drought busters' to park in the Botanical gardens for a couple of months, I am sure we could generate enough water to fill it for a lesser fee.

Wendouree is an aboriginal word. Translated, it means 'Go Away'