The long-awaited restoration of the Hercules statue in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens has now commenced thanks to a generous community donation.  

In April 2023, the statue was removed from the gardens to investigate the stabilisation and repairs needed of Hercules.  

This occurred after annual maintenance works identified instability. Following this, a detailed assessment was completed offsite and it was determined that the statue was in a critical condition needing urgent restoration works particularly to stabilise the pins connecting parts of the statue together.  

The materiality and the age of the statue requires careful conservation methodologies to be followed.

While the basic statue repairs were part of the City of Ballarat’s annual maintenance budget, the more detailed restoration works are being undertaken thanks to the donation.

Richard Thege has generously donated money to enable the conservation required for the entire Stoddart Collection, starting first with Hercules, as this statue is currently not on display.  

Works that will now be completed on Hercules include:

• Replacement of internal structure within the statue  
• Replacement of discoloured areas and failing repairs from previous decades  
• Fixing of cracks
• Further stabilisation.  

The specialised works on Hercules will take some time and at this stage the statue is expected to be back in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens later this year.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it is incredible to be in receipt of a generous donation to ensure the restoration of the entire Stoddart Collection.  

“The historical significance of these statues is so important to Ballarat, and to the fabric of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens,” he said.  

The statue is carved from Carrara marble with a pedestal of Sicilian marble and a base of local Victorian granite.  

Words & Image: Supplied

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).

The first new ferns have been planted at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens Fernery.

The three metre high Cyathea australis, also known as Rough Tree Ferns, frame the exterior of the fernery which, once landscaping is completed, will showcase a gallery of Australian ferns.

About 400 mostly exotic plants, including shrubs, perennials and Cordylines have also been planted around the outside of the fernery.

A further 400 ferns will be planted inside the fernery in the coming months with the final landscaping completed in time for the fernery to open to the public at the 2024 Ballarat Begonia Festival.

The re-alignment of the footpath on Wendouree Parade is also underway. The works will create an additional new entrance to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, with the introduction of a fernery forecourt designed around the Claxton Monument.

AQL Landscape Design is delivering the landscaping at the fernery, which is one of only a few examples in the state of a grand Victorian plant house. The steel framed replica of the original 1884 Gothic-inspired fernery entrance was completed in 2021.

The design and landscape delivery of the fernery project is being funded by the City of Ballarat ($340,000) together with funding of $150,000 from Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens Grant Program, the Friends of Ballarat Botanical Gardens ($200,000) and Ballarat Botanical Gardens Foundation ($50,000).

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the fernery landscaping will provide another spectacular drawcard for the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

“The fernery landscaping will provide an incredible experience for residents and visitors to our beautiful Ballarat Botanical Gardens,” he said.

“I look forward to seeing these transformational landscaping works completed as we gather to celebrate the 72nd Ballarat Begonia Festival.”

AQL Landscape Design Principal Wayne De Klijn said the garden build has progressed with the site grading, drainage, pavement, irrigation, raised steel feature planters, edging and garden preparation all completed.

“The beautiful advanced Cyathea australis tree ferns really help set the scene,” he said.

New year works will include paving patterned in the shape of fern fronds, which will lead from the Wendouree Parade entrance to the fernery.

The landscaping will also feature two waterfall timber slate seats with bookend stonework, designed to match the existing stonework in the Gardens, final planting and hanging of the Elk Horn ferns and plant chandeliers.

Further works will also take place at the rear of the structure to connect the fernery with the rest of the gardens.

Landscaping works began in August this year. The landscape designs were completed by Andrea Proctor Landscapes.