ABOUT LAKE WENDOUREE

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• Circumference - 6km
• Capacity - 3,680 megalitres
• Maximum depth - 2.2 Metres
• Surface area - 220 hectares
• Foreshore area - 19 hectares
• Height above sea level - 450 metres

History of Lake Wendouree

1838: Lake Wendouree was originally a shallow reedy swamp set on a rich alluvial
         flat teaming with wildlife including kangaroos, emus, wombats, dingos and a
         wide variety of cockatoos and parrots.

         The nomadic Wadawurrung people from the Kulin tribe camped by the swamp
         during summer months.

         Scottish settler William Cross Yuille erects a hut at the edge of the 'Black
         Swamp', the swamp soon becomes known as 'Yuille's Swamp'.

         The name Wendouree comes from the aboriginal word 'wendaaree' which
         means 'go away'.  A story is told that when William Yuille asked an aboriginal
         woman the name of the swamp, her reply was wendaaree. When Ballarat was 
         first surveyed in 1851 by WS Urquhart the swamp was recorded as
         Wendouree.

1851: A dam was built across the Lake and the bank was raised several times
         higher to provide Ballarat with a permanent supply of water.

1858: A pipe was laid underground from the Lake to the water works in Sturt Street
         opposite the Town Hall.

         Industries were set up around the Lake - blue stone quarries at View Point
         and St Patrick's Point, two flour mills, a lemonade factory, plant nurseries and
         four large gold mining companies. Deep leads under the Lake were mined
         until 1875.

         There were thirteen hotels situated around Lake Wendouree. The Lake View
         Hotel was established in   1875 and is the only one that remains.

1860: An underground pipeline from Kirks Reservoir provided the first constant
         source of water to 'top up' the Lake's water level.

1864: Members of the Ballarat Rowing Club cut a course through the reeds with
         scythes in order to hold the first aquatic sports events on the Lake.

1956: Ballarat hosts the rowing, canoeing and kayaking events for the 1956
         Olympic Games.   The Olympic Precinct at the end of the rowing course pays
         tribute to the Olympians who competed in Ballarat in 1956 and to Ballarat's
         Olympic representatives