It is a windy day in Victoria, although not as bad in town as out in the surrounding areas. We headed out anyway to explore the Blackburn Lake Sanctuary that we had found on Google Maps. It seemed to be a decent size and, as it was about an hour’s walk from the house, would make for a good outing.
On the way to the sanctuary, our walk route took us on part of the Wurundjeri Trail that we had walked last week as well as by two other small parks.
on the way to Blackburn Lake Sanctuary.
This land was given to the city in 1975 by Janet and Albert Hooke
to be retained as a sanctuary for birds, wildflowers, and native plants.
to commemorate the birth of each of her grandchildren.
As the metal sign indicates, this one was for Wendy, who was born in 1952.
The Blackburn Lake Sanctuary is located at the edge of a lovely neighborhood. A sign at the sanctuary informed us that the natural watercourse here was dammed in 1888 by the Freehold Investment and Banking Company to create the current lake as a key feature of its Model Town Estate.
In the 1880s and 1890s, the area was a popular picnic spot. In the early 1900s, it was the site of a home “for aged, infirm, and feeble minded deaf mutes.” (So glad our understanding and terminology has progressed.). Local citizens began campaigning to protect the land from further development in the 1960s, and the area was classified as a significant landscape in 1976.
We enjoyed the short hike around the lake and a short chat with a local who was watching the ducks at one of the viewing areas near the lake.
that were a project between local students and artist.
The full phrase says Healthy Waterways,
and there are also tiles depicting local birds.
The local gentleman I spoke with who was sitting here
said that he’d only seen the Pacific Black Ducks today.
from one of the co-founders of the local art camp.
The painting is thought to have been painted in the vicinity of Blackburn Lake based on the body of water in the image.
Peckish Travels 