Event 1 2022 Ballarat Gardens
Report by Coral Twenty three U3A Gardening Enthusiasts enjoyed a function at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens for our first event of the year held on 1st February 2022. The gardens welcome thousands of visitors yearly and attracts up to 60,000 people over the three day Begonia Festival weekend. Both new and old members enjoyed information from Terry O'Brien, Lorraine Powell and Wendy Sandiford who spoke on the lake water, the ferries as well as the Prime Ministers Walk. Lake, Water and Ferries: Lorraine spoke how the First Nation people used the lake, formerly a swamp as their meeting place, where they gathered eggs, meat and vegetables, making items from reeds and preserving their precious water source. With settlement, some of the following took place: 1863 White swans were imported from England and added to the area now known as the Fairyland, and needed to be fenced in due to loss from feral animals. The first Curator, George Longley lived in a cottage at the gardens. The