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In
Ballarat
a
Scotsman,
Thomas
Stoddart,
donated
12
Italian
marble
statues.
You
can
see
them
scattered
through
the
Botanic
Gardens.
Also
located
here
is
The
Flight
from
Pompeii
as
is
the
Robert
Burns
statue,
one
of
Ballarat's
landmarks.
The
stately
streetscape
of
Pall
Mall
in
Bendigo
is
introduced
by
the
delightful
ornamentation
of
the
Alexandra
Fountain,
named
after
Alexandra,
the
Princess
of
Wales.
When
tiny
Malmsbury
was
surveyed
in
1863,
nine
hectares
were
set
aside
for
Botanical
Gardens.
The
town
received
thousands
of
plants
and
seedlings
propagated
for
distribution
to
State
gardens
by
the
famous
botanist
-
Baron
Ferdinand
Von
Mueller
-
the
man
responsible
for
establishing
Melbourne's
grand
Botanic
Gardens.
They
contain
the
best
example
of
only
four
known
specimens
of
the
strawberry
tree
in
cultivation
in
Victoria.
Nearby,
at
Kyneton,
are
the
Kyneton
Botanical
gardens
where
you
can
see
a
Chilean
Wine
Palm,
so
rare
it
has
a
National
Trust
classification.
These
gardens
also
have
a
delightful
collection
of
oak
trees.
Other
gardens
that
will
delight
you
in
the
area
include
the
Phillip
Gardens,
Maryborough
which
features
a
central
lake
that
was
once
a
dam.
St
Arnaud
has
the
Queen
Mary
gardens,
Ararat
the
Alexandra
Gardens
and
Eaglehawk
the
Canterbury
Gardens.
But
the
most
splendid
gardens
in
the
region
can
be
seen
at
Ballarat
and
Castlemaine.
You
will
see
a
statutory
pavilion
in
Ballarat's
botanical
gardens
which
was
built
a
century
ago
to
house
a
collection
given
to
the
city.
Imposing
trees
and
perfect
lawns
covering
40
hectares
surround
Lake
Wendouree.
Many
of
the
trees
you'll
see
are
over
120
years
old
and
feature
on
the
National
Trust's
Register
of
Significant
Trees.
The
gardens
are
famous
for
their
begonias
and
the
town
hosts
an
annual
begonia
festival.
Another
attraction
of
this
festival
is
the
splendid
floral
carpet
made
from
over
100,000
fresh
flowers.
At
the
Castlemaine
Gardens
you
can
see
one
of
the
oldest
known
cultivated
trees
in
Victoria
-
an
English
oak,
planted
by
His
Royal
Highness
Prince
Alfred
in
1867.
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