A Master Plan is an integrated, big picture planning document that looks at all the desires, needs and problems of a garden as a whole to come up with an agreed, long-term vision for the place. It protects what’s important, while allowing for change. A Master Plan is a chance to take a step back and look at everything on the site and how it interacts - working with community, neighbours, stakeholders, managers, visitors and anyone with a connection to the gardens, as well as reviewing what is and isn’t working on the site to come up with solutions that work for the garden and everyone who uses it.

A Master Plan is the best way of sensitively managing change, protecting what is important and ensuring all projects work together to provide value for money, meet people’s requirements and care for the site.

A Master Plan eases planning and grant applications, allowing funds to be spent in the most efficient way possible and for small projects to work together to build a larger vision for the gardens. It also ensures that if any change is needed, it has considered all the potential impacts and alternatives, including protecting what people love about the place.

A Master Plan that has been developed in this manner acts as an important planning tool, giving everyone involved the assurance that decisions being carried out are in the best long-term interests of the garden and all that use is.

Yes! Ballarat has been working under a Master Plan for 30 years, and it is now time for a new one. Most of Victoria’s botanic gardens have a Master Plan in place to direct works, including Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and Cranbourne, Bendigo Botanic Gardens, Kyneton Botanic Gardens, Wombat Hill, Williamstown, Hamilton, Colac and Ballarat’s second botanic garden, Buninyong.

Examples of projects at other botanic gardens that have come through Master Planning include the Arid Garden and Guilfoyle’s Volcano at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Woodlands Playspace at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, the Garden for the Future at Bendigo Botanic Gardens, Kyneton Community Park and the indigenous gardens at Williamstown.

The main focus is the Ballarat Botanical Gardens including the North and South Garden Reserves with the area bounded by Wendouree Parade to the east, Carlton Street to the south, Gillies Street to the west and Gregory Street / The Boulevard / St Aidens to the north. While the main focus is on this area, we will also look at how the Gardens connect to the wider landscape, including the Lake Wendouree Foreshore.

The Master Plan is focused on the areas managed as a garden by the City of Ballarat. It is not reviewing the internal layouts of the Fish Hatchery, Federation University, Tram Museum or Ex-Prisoner of War Memorial all of which lay within the original Gardens’ footprint.

A Master Plan considers everything in relation to a garden from irrigation and drainage through to events, how people arrive, pathways, shelters, the focus of the plant collections and potential new projects.

Other than community feedback, we also look at City of Ballarat planning documents, technical reports, the existing site conditions and stakeholder desires. This includes the Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, tenants and user groups with a place in the Gardens and the horticultural staff who care for the site. We also look at industry best practice, environmental requirements, the impact of climate change, public expectations, events and use, and the gardens’ place in the network of Australian botanic gardens and the greater Ballarat and goldfields region.

Results from the initial round of consultation will be used to set the project brief, to identify what people love and therefore needs to be protected, and what isn’t working and needs to change. A copy of the consultation report will be made publicly available and will drive the recommendations made in the Master Plan.

Yes! The Draft Master Plan will be released for public comment.