February 24th, 2024Begonia maze recalls early gardens feature

This year’s Ballarat Begonia Festival will feature a novel throwback to the very early days of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

The 2024 ‘Begonia Maze’ will be a key feature of the festival, paying homage to two mazes that once existed in the gardens precinct.

Creative Mazes, a company owned by former Ballarat local Chris Bennett, will set up a temporary maze for the festival, which is likely to provide a highlight for families.

Festival goers will be invited to immerse themselves in a world of colour as they attempt to complete a quiz and successfully navigate themselves to the end of the maze.

The maze will pay tribute to two mazes that once featured in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens with an interesting history.

It will operate from 10am-5pm on all three days of the festival.

The first maze was developed in the gardens in 1862 at the site of the current Robert Clark Conservatory.

Made of a prickly wattle bush, it was removed in 1881 in readiness for a new conservatory, which was built in the early 1900s.

The second maze was first planted in the North Gardens in 1888 to the same design as the United Kingdom’s oldest surviving hedge maze in Hampton Court Palace in London.

With privet and whitethorn hedges planted and a watch tower in the middle, the second maze proved more user-friendly and a popular community asset.

However, after more than 70 years of community use, it was removed in 1959 due to persistent vandalism.

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Daniel Moloney said the 2024 Begonia Festival maze would be a brilliant family activity.

“We saw last year the Begonia Festival attract more than 65,000 people and contributed $4.5 million to the Ballarat economy, which shows just how important it is to the City of Ballarat,” he said.

“The program that is on offer once again this year looks incredible, and I can’t wait for another bumper weekend.”

The 72nd annual Ballarat Begonia Festival will be held at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens across the Labour Day long weekend (9-11 March).