Suburb Snapshot: Lake Gardens

The size of Lake Gardens is approximately 1.2 square kilometres and has one park covering nearly 16.5 per cent of total area.

The population of Lake Gardens in 2011 was 1665 people and by the 2016 Census it had grown to 1708, showing a rise of 2.6 per cent in the area during that time.

The area of Lake Gardens was formerly open flat marshy land between Black Swamp and Winter Swamp, hunting land for the Wathaurong people.

In the fledgling Ballarat of the 1860s, the land west of Ballarat Botanical Gardens was set aside for Prince of Wales Recreation Reserve to the south and to the north, “Reformatory Reserve” stretching toward what was known as the Town Common. Lakeside Mental Hospital, a psychiatric asylum, was built on the Reformatory Reserve from 1877.

Following the closure of the hospital, City of Ballarat made planning provision for a new suburb on the site.

Work began in early 2000 on the 650m round artificial lake to be the centrepiece surrounded by prestige homes, filled by bore water and storm water. The lake reserve is bounded by Stirling Drive to the north, Lake Gardens Drive to the south, St Cedars Grove to the west and St Glen’s Way and Gillies Street to the east with the main streets being planted with London Plane trees.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Lake Gardens is 10-19 years with households in Lake Gardens being primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying $1800 – $2399 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Lake Gardens work in a professional occupation.

Source: Ballarat Times News Group