Ballarat 小鎮的黃金時代：Lake Wendouree．Botanical Garden 植物園｜澳洲．維州





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若不是歷史留下痕跡，Ballarat 或許只是維多利亞州西部一座恬靜的城鎮。1850 年代淘金熱席捲整片大地，Ballarat 成為當時全球人口遷徙的焦點，街道仍保存著濃厚的殖民建築語彙：鏤空鑄鐵陽台、對稱立面與華麗山牆沿著 Lydiard Street 一面排開。

If it weren’t for the footprints of history, Ballarat might be just another quiet town in western Victoria. Yet the 1850s gold rush transformed it into the world’s great migration hub, and today its streets still speak of colonial ambition: lace-work cast-iron balconies, symmetrical façades and ornate parapets line Lydiard Street like a living time capsule.



Ballarat Railway Station（1862）、Her Majesty’s Theatre（1875）與 Craig’s Royal Hotel（1853）等，妥善的保存下來，這座城市曾有過的富裕與熱望，混合著街道之間的空氣，構築出一座被時間打磨過的城市紋理。

Landmarks such as the Ballarat Railway Station (1862), Her Majesty’s Theatre (1875) and Craig’s Royal Hotel (1853) have been lovingly preserved, each one a reminder of the city’s once-lavish dreams. Their brick and stone textures mingle with the morning air, carving out a cityscape honed by time itself.









Lake Wendouree Reserve 溫德里湖 📍

Parking：free parking 免費停車場
Hour： 24hr

Lake Wendouree 是一個天然濕地轉化而來的人工湖，前身名為 Yuille’s Swamp，為了城市排水與景觀用途，在19世紀中葉逐步塑造成今日的湖型，也曾在 1956 年墨爾本奧運時成為划船與獨木舟比賽的場地。

湖面倒映著松林，6公里長的步道隨著湖岸蜿蜒，是在地人晨跑、野餐與放空的生活節奏，也是一座野生動物棲地——黑天鵝、鵜鶘、水鴨與各式濕地鳥類在此共生，歷史不只是靜態展品，而是化作空氣裡的溫度、建築的紋理與湖水的倒影，靜靜述說著 Ballarat 如何從金色年代走進當代節奏。

Once known as Yuille’s Swamp, Lake Wendouree was reshaped in the mid-19th century into the reflective expanse we know today—part practical drainage, part public promenade. In 1956 it even hosted Olympic rowing and canoeing events. Pine trees ripple across its mirrored surface, while a six-kilometre lakeside trail threads together morning joggers, picnickers and daydreamers. Here, black swans, pelicans, ducks and myriad waterbirds share the water’s edge, turning this place into a living tableau rather than a static exhibit. In the ripples of the lake and the patterns of the pavements, Ballarat’s golden heritage softly unfolds into the present.















Ballarat Botanical Gardens 巴拉瑞特植物園 📍


Parking：free 免費停車場
Hours：07:30 – 18

位於 Lake Wendouree 湖畔的 Ballarat Botanical Gardens，自 1857 年以來一直是這座城市的綠色靈魂。​

中央的 Victorian gardenesque 風格花園，以及南北兩側的開放式草地，融合了歷史、建築與自然，展現出一種時間與空間交織的美感。​Balance Architecture + Interior Design (web) 設計的 Fernery，重現了 1887 年的哥德式木構建築，佈置蕨類生長的半戶外花園。

Since 1857, the Botanical Gardens on Lake Wendouree’s shore have formed Ballarat’s green heart. A central Victorian “gardenesque” parterre unfurls between open lawns to the north and south, weaving together history, architecture and nature into a single poetic tapestry.

Fernery by Balance Architecture + Interior Design
Reimagines an 1887 Gothic timber structure as a semi-outdoor haven for ferns, marrying heritage form with contemporary craftsmanship.

Robert Clark Conservatory by Peter Elliott (1995)
Funded by the Clark family legacy, this crystalline glasshouse takes its cue from origami: steel frames and multifaceted glass panes assemble into a light, jewel-like pavilion. As the third-generation conservatory on site, it stages four seasonal exhibitions—begonias in autumn, chrysanthemums in mid-year, cyclamen in winter and ficaria in spring—each unfolding its own dialogue of light, structure and living color.



Robert Clark Conservatory 由澳洲建築師 Peter Elliott (web) 操刀設計，於 1995 年啟用。這座由 Robert Clark 後代捐資興建的玻璃建築，以摺紙為靈感，透過鋼構與多面玻璃組構出一座如水晶般的輕盈量體。它並非喧嘩地佇立於園中，而是以一種克制而細緻的方式，回應周圍綠意與維多利亞式花園的節奏。作為園內的第三代溫室，這裡四季展演著來自各地的花卉展品，從秋海棠到菊花、從冬季仙客來到春日繁縷，每個季節都有屬於自己的溫室時光，一座能靜靜觀看植物如何與光線、結構、時間對話的場所。

In Ballarat, time is never simply a backdrop. It is etched in brick and stone, mirrored in water, and cultivated in every garden bed. Here, the city’s golden age still shines—quietly, elegantly—into today’s rhythms.









2025 Melbourne, VIC 澳洲維州
edit / Chadars；text & photo / PIN HO


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