Ballarat Botanical Gardens remains closed as massive storm clean up continues

The clean up continues at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Lake Wendouree precinct and Avenue of Honour following considerable damage during last week’s storm that battered the region.  

The Botanical Gardens sustained widespread damage and remains closed to the public until the site can be cleaned up and made safe for visitation again.  

City of Ballarat is contacting people who have weddings and other bookings in the gardens to advise of the current situation.    

None of the gardens’ infrastructure such as the Robert Clark Conservatory, rotundas, or statues were damaged during the storm, although some irrigation systems need to be repaired and fences surrounding the precinct have been heavily impacted.  

About 20 trees have been lost within the gardens and along the western shore of Lake Wendouree, with three of the trees lost being listed on Ballarat's Significant tree register as well as being registered with the National Heritage Trust.  

The Ballarat Botanical Gardens management continues to meet with arborists after initial inspections identified the need to carry out further works next week before a reopening date can be confirmed. 

City of Ballarat Chief Executive Officer, Evan King, said work crews have been out in force since last Friday tackling the massive clean-up effort to get our parks and gardens back open as quickly and safely as possible.  

“The damage that has occurred across our region and particularly to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens is absolutely devastating. The gardens team put a lot of work into maintaining this world-class Ballarat asset and we are heartbroken to see the damage done last week,” he said.  

“City of Ballarat staff from several departments are working closely together to assess the full extent of the damage and the safety risks currently posed to instigate a methodical and effective plan to have the gardens reopen as quickly and as safely as we can. 

“There is a big job ahead of us and the safety of our community and staff is our top priority in making sure we can get our gardens back to looking their best. 

“We appreciate the public’s patience while we work to clear the damage, assess the risk of the trees, and make the area safe again.” 

The North Gardens and South Reserve areas are open but impacted by fallen branches in certain sections, so caution is urged if visiting these areas. 

The women’s toilet block in the South Reserve is also closed due to damage, however the accessible toilet is open for all genders. 

In other areas of the municipality, significant damage has also occurred to the Avenue of Honour with at least 50 trees impacted. Assessment is continuing to quantify the full extent of the damage to the trees along the Avenue. 

The Buninyong Botanical Gardens, Victoria Park, and Eureka Gardens are open with no major tree damage and damaged trees around Lake Wendouree have been safely secured.   

Overall, last week’s storm saw in excess of 200 specific jobs recorded with the City of Ballarat and more than 680 calls were received from the community for assistance or to report damage to council assets.   

The storm event has been declared an emergency which will facilitate Natural Disaster Funding.