Ballarat - Historic Areas Walk

Enjoy a walk around the historic centre of Ballarat taking in some of the colourful history of the Victorian goldfields as well as some of Ballarat's magnificent parks and gardens. Limit of 20 participants.

GRADE | LENGTH | TYPE: Easy, approximately 11 km circuit walk. 

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION:
The walk will commence with an exploration of the colourful history of landmark Victorian historical buildings in Lydiard St and this precinct’s links with the gay bushranger - Captain Moonlight, Dame Nellie Melba, Mark Twain, the first Royal Visit to Australia from Prince Alfred in 1867, Ballarat’s role in causing the British Government being obliged to make a huge compensation payment to the USA in 1865, Ballarat’s connection to the Burke and Wills expedition and, indirectly, to Jack The Ripper!

We will then traverse Sturt St observing the polarity of the Queen Victoria statue and the Alfred Bells in the Town Hall, and then further up, the statue of Peter Lalor – the hero of the Eureka Stockade.

We will visit the Old Ballarat Cemetery and the graves of both the Eureka Stockade miners killed in that protest, and the soldiers who fought the miners, from the 12th Regiment Suffolk Battalion, and the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot.

We will then proceed to lunch on the banks of Lake Wendouree in an impressive Edwardian shelter, then walk via the lakeside to Ballarat's historic Botanic Gardens. These Gardens feature magnificant Californian Redwoods and a truly magnificant Manna Gum worthy of an Arthur Streeton painting. A unique feature will be the cottage of the poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, the restored Gatekeeper's Cottage and the depot of Ballarat's original tram service.

We will traverse the memorial to all Australians ever imprisoned by enemy forces during war before then walking down the Australian Prime Ministers Walk and the famous Begonia Glass House.

The walk to Wendouree station will take us through a very atmospheric, native area of billabongs associated with the surrounding lake, that was originally a marsh area that would have been richly endowed with food sources for the original Wathaurung people of Ballarat.

MEETING TIME | LOCATION: 10:45am approximately at the Ballarat Railway Station, Lydiard St North, Ballarat. 

MAP REFERENCE: Melway map X909 grid A12 | Vicroads map 566 grid D7 | Google map goo.gl/maps/ruvwh25FpfThfXW39.

DISTANCE | TIME FROM GPO: 115 km, approximately 1 hour 20 minutes to drive via the M8 freeway, 1 hour 30 minutes by public transport.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Arrive early enough at Southern Cross Station to check platform arrangements to catch the V/Line Wendouree (Ballarat) service departing at 9:16am, which arrives at 10:44am at Ballarat Station. For the return trip, we will catch the train that departs Wendouree Station at 4:10pm, arriving at Southern Cross Station at 5:45pm. 

FOOD: Best to BYO lunch so the walk will not need to be delayed waiting for walkers who want to purchase their lunch at a cafe - which will need to comply with a slower COVID-19 sales process. 

APPAREL | FOOTWEAR: Comfortable walking boots/shoes and dress according to the weather forecast.

BOOKING: By Thursday 18th June. Click on Get Tickets to register.

LEADER: Don V. | Email the Leader if you have any questions. Members can access leader contact details under Members | Leader Contacts when logged in to the website.

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