Lake Wendouree

Lake Wendouree is a suburb around a lake of the same name, 3 km north-west of the centre of Ballarat.

The lake was originally Yuille's Swamp which supplied domestic water to Ballarat from 1852 until the 1860s. In 1856-58 the Ballarat botanic garden (40 ha) was laid out on the swamp's western shore. In the 1870s improvements were made to the lake as an aquatic venue, with two rowing clubs and pleasure craft. The name Wendouree was given at that time, apparently derived from an Aboriginal expression. The lake has an area of 238 hectares and a circumference of 6 km.