ESTABLISHED to create an oasis in what was a desert, the Ballarat East Town Hall Gardens were first planted in 1864.<\/p>\n
Although the original hall was demolished, and BGT Jobs and Training\u2019s Barkly Square community centre now sits on the site, a garden remains.<\/p>\n
The green space, much of which is terraced, is maintained by eight volunteer Friends of Ballarat East Gardens including Di Stewart, who got involved to give back in her retirement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of weeding, pulling out ivy, raking, there\u2019s been some planting, and propagating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019ve cleared areas, it\u2019s been quite gratifying, finding parts of the garden that were hidden under ivy, like beautiful old boulders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coordinator, Valdi Cham, said the Friends welcome new volunteers to help them as they work to beautify the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are some of the third oldest gardens in Victoria,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to recreate what was here because of global warming, and often plants were imported, but once the area takes off, we hope people will stop and think, \u2018doesn\u2019t that look great.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking in these gardens is so peaceful and quiet, people walk past and say hi, and you can hear the cockatoos, magpies, and kookaburras.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Friends have limited access to water and tend to plant hardy species, like succulents and lavenders.<\/p>\n
There is a hothouse at Barkly Square, and volunteers plan to do some more propagating, and potting up of donated plants to use in future.<\/p>\n
More overall clean-ups, and weed and ivy clearing is on the agenda, as is cutting back Dianella, and planting up the slope near the carpark and Specimen Vale footpath.<\/p>\n
Horticulture students from Federation University have attended the site to weed and plant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to continue that partnership, and the little bit of interweaving,\u201d Ms Cham said.<\/p>\n
If you are interest to volunteer, contact 0439 396 486.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ESTABLISHED to create an oasis in what was a desert, the Ballarat East Town Hall Gardens were first planted in 1864. Although the original hall was demolished, and BGT Jobs and Training\u2019s Barkly Square community centre now sits on the site, a garden remains. The green space, much of which is terraced, is maintained by […]<\/p>\n