From Gold Rush swamp to Olympic venue, Lake Wendouree has anchored Ballarat for 170 years

Lake Wendouree is a cornerstone of life in Ballarat, well-known to all locals, swans, and even kangaroos during a decade-long drought in which the lake became an open field. 

But the history of the lake goes beyond being a natural slice of the landscape. 

With past lives as a swamp, olympic rowing grounds, and a local example of the Millennium Drought in live action, the history of Lake Wendouree is rich.

💧 Swampy start: Lake Wendouree was originally a swamp. During the gold rush of the mid-1800s, the swamp and surrounding wetlands were converted to a dam to provide a water supply to the growing population. It supplied water to Ballarat until the 1930s. 

🗣️: “It was originally part of a network of swamps, before it got bricked over in the 1950s and turned into a lake,” Dr David Waldron, senior lecturer on history and folklore at Federation University, told the Brolga. 

The name itself: The story of the name follows settler William Cross Yuille.

• “It comes from a swear word, sort of one of the rudest things you could say. A Wathaurong woman was fishing there for eels, and she kept telling him [William Cross Yuille] wendaaree.”

Dr Waldron said wendaaree is a word meaning an iteration of “go away”, or potentially something stronger. The misunderstanding led to the name the waterway remains known for today - and several surrounding suburbs. 

• “There are also corroborees recorded there during the gold rush,” Dr Waldron said.  A corroboree is a meeting between First Nations people, often denoting festivities and sacred ceremonies. 

🥇Gold for Ballarat: In 1956, the lake became the site for several rowing and canoeing events in the Olympic Games. This was also the first year in which a country in the Southern Hemisphere hosted the games. 

Lake of fire: During the Millennium Drought, the lake spent five years between 2006-2011 completely dry. 

🗣️: “Kangaroos were hopping around the lake during the drought, and the New Year’s Eve fireworks actually had to be cancelled. People also used to wander out to try and collect antique bottles,” Dr Waldron said. 

With an eclectic and many-faced history, Lake Wendouree (now full once again) remains a bustling hub of life in Ballarat and continues to host milestones throughout the year for the regional population.