A $2.016 million upgrade of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens’ ageing irrigation system has started in a move aimed at ensuring the long-term vitality of the heritage-listed attraction.
The City of Ballarat is fully funding the Irrigation Renewal Project that will replace existing ageing watering infrastructure first installed in the 1980s.
This month, contractors have started the staged construction to upgrade the system across about 7ha of the gardens precinct, excluding the nursery near the Robert Clark Horticultural Centre.
The works are scheduled for completion by October or November and all up they are set to deliver 15.29km of irrigation pipe, 10.17km of irrigation line, 3.51km of control wiring and 1721 new irrigation spray heads.
A City of Ballarat spokesperson said the project will introduce a fully modernised, future-ready irrigation system designed to improve water efficiency, monitoring and long-term management.
Key features will include a new decoder-based control system for better fault detection, upgraded water-use meters for more accurate resource tracking, and targeted irrigation technologies like subsurface drippers and pop-up sprays calibrated for lawns and garden beds.
City of Ballarat mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the project will ensure the treasured leafy landmark continues to thrive for generations to come.
“The Ballarat Botanical Gardens are an absolute treasure for our city and this vital investment will protect one of our most valued public assets,” she said.
“This project will ensure the gardens remain healthy, vibrant and resilient for future generations while also improving our water efficiency and sustainability.”
The upgrade was identified as a priority in the Gardens Masterplan as the current system has become increasingly unreliable with limited programmability and other challenges in meeting critical watering needs during hot, dry periods.
Visitors to the gardens may notice temporary fencing, machinery, and short-term access changes during construction, but the gardens will stay open and disruptions will minimised wherever possible, the city spokesperson said.
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