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Balyang Sanctuary is a public park in the suburb of Newtown, Geelong. Situated at 38°09′51″S144°19′52″E / 38.1642°S 144.3312°E Coordinates: 38°09′51″S144°19′52″E / 38.1642°S 144.3312°E on the banks of the Barwon River, it is 20 acres (8 ha) in size and consists of open park lands, lakes, and wetlands. It was opened in 1973.
The area occupied by Balyang Sanctuary was once owned by Captain Foster Fyans, who purchased it in 1845 at the first government land sale. It was on that land that Foster built his permanent home, "Bellbird Balyang", to remember a young Aboriginal Australian who accompanied him in the early days of the Geelong settlement.[ citation needed ]
The land was mainly used for grazing, as it was low lying and subject to flooding. It was reserved as public open space under the Geelong Planning Scheme 1959, with the local City of Newtown responsible for acquiring the land. Negotiations began in 1965, but the landowner, H.S. Hargraves, wanted to continue using the land. It was not until 1969 that a price was determined.
Also during 1965, the current Princes Bridge at the end of Shannon Avenue opened. The new high-level concrete and steel girder bridge replaced an older wooden bridge first opened in 1889 at the end of what is now Marnock Road. The northern approach of the bridge was built on a new embankment, which encircles the western side of what became Balyang Sanctuary.
On 30 September 1970, a plan was adopted for the new park and work commenced on 1 August. Part of the works were carried out using the labour of the unemployed under the Non-Metropolitan Unemployment Relief Scheme. The cost had been estimated at $81,500, and $67,150 had been spent by the opening, $53,350 being for labour provided under the Relief Scheme. The park was officially opened on 16 August 1973 by the mayor of the City of Newtown, as well as representatives of the state and federal governments.
The park consisted of a main lake with a maximum depth of 2 feet 6 inches (75 cm), surrounded by bluestone and concrete walls. Three islands were situated in the centre, with public access to two of them via four footbridges. Water for the lake was supplied by two storm water drains at the northern end, as well as water pumped from the Barwon River. 150 car parking spaces were provided, as well as public toilets and picnic tables. A number of riverside walking and bike paths link Balyang Sanctuary with other parks along the Barwon River.
A number of both native and introduced species of birds inhabit the park, including swans, pelicans, Eurasian coots, dusky moorhens, Pacific black ducks, mallards, pied cormorants, geese and silver gulls.
In the early 2000s, an unsuccessful attempt was made to remove introduced European carp from the lake, but the extended drought during that decade resulted in the lake drying up in the summer of 2007. In early 2007, the Sanctuary was upgraded, with the bluestone edging of the lake removed and the lake reconstructed to more closely resemble a natural wetland.
The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 1,248 square kilometres (482 sq mi) and, had a population of 271,057 as of the 2021 Australian census. It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Geelong urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Anakie, Balliang, Barwon Heads, Batesford, Ceres, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Lara, Ocean Grove, Portarlington and St Leonards. It was formed in 1993 from the amalgamation of the Rural City of Bellarine, Shire of Corio, City of Geelong, City of Geelong West, City of Newtown, City of South Barwon, and parts of Shire of Barrabool and Shire of Bannockburn.
The Barwon River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in The Otways and the Bellarine Peninsula regions of the Australian state of Victoria.
Fyansford is a township on the western edge of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, named after Captain Foster Fyans who came to Geelong as a Police magistrate in October, 1837. It is located at the junction of the Barwon and Moorabool rivers. At the 2016 census, Fyansford had a population of 196.
Newtown is an inner western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Newtown had a population of 10,155. It is a primarily residential area occupying one of the highest points of urban Geelong, has always been a desirable place of residence and it is the location of many of Geelong's oldest and most valuable properties.
Belmont is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The name means "beautiful hill". Belmont is geographically separated from the Geelong central business district by the Barwon River. The suburb is primarily residential, with some light industry along Barwon Heads Road. The suburb is part of the City of Greater Geelong local government area. At the 2011 census, Belmont had a population of 13,616.
Barwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded to the west by farmland, golf courses and the ephemeral saline wetland Murtnaghurt Lagoon. At the 2016 census, Barwon Heads had a population of 3,875.
South Geelong, also referred to as Geelong South, is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the City of Greater Geelong. At the 2016 census, South Geelong had a population of 993.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula, separates Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait. The peninsula itself was originally occupied by Indigenous Australian clans of the Wathaurong nation, prior to European settlement in the early 19th century. Early European settlements were initially centred on wheat and grain agriculture, before the area became a popular tourist destination with most visitors arriving by paddle steamer on Port Phillip in the late 19th century.
The Moorabool River is a river in Victoria, Australia, that runs past several small towns and areas such as Meredith, Anakie, and Staughton Vale. The river joins with the Barwon River at Fyansford.
Melbourne is Australia's second largest city and widely considered to be a garden city, with Victoria being nicknamed "the Garden State". Renowned as one of the most livable cities in the world, there is an abundance of parks, gardens and green belts close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways, and tree-lined avenues, all managed by Parks Victoria.
The City of Geelong was a local government area about 75 kilometres (47 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 13.4 square kilometres (5.2 sq mi), and existed from 1849 until 1993.
Batesford is a small township located approximately 10 kilometres west of Geelong and 67 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Melbourne.
The Skeleton Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Skeleton Creek as it passes through the outer south western suburbs of Point Cook and Altona Meadows in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Geelong Racecourse is a major regional horse racing venue in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The current racecourse dates to 1908. The annual Geelong Cup is held at the course every October, as well as a number of other race meets through the year.
Lake Connewarre, a shallow estuarine 880-hectare (2,200-acre) lake on the Barwon River, is located on the Bellarine Peninsula southeast of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria.
The City of Newtown was a local government area about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 6.22 square kilometres (2.4 sq mi), and existed from 1858 until 1993.
Reedy Lake, historically also known as Lake Reedy, is a shallow 5.5-square-kilometre (2.1 sq mi) intermittent freshwater lake or swamp on the lower reaches of the Barwon River, on the Bellarine Peninsula southeast of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria.
Murtnaghurt Lagoon, also known as Murtnaghurt Swamp or Lake Murtnaghurt, is a shallow, ephemeral wetland west of the town of Barwon Heads on the southern coast of the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. It comprises two enclosed depressions, elongated west-east and separated by a low ridge. The wetland is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in length, and up to 600 metres (2,000 ft) wide, with 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) of shoreline enclosing an area of 81 hectares. It is connected by a narrow 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) palaeochannel extending from the lagoon northwards to the main tidal channel of the lower Barwon River.
Armstrong Creek is a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It was gazetted in February 2012 as part of the Armstrong Creek Growth Area, and was mostly farm land which had been part of Connewarre and Mount Duneed. At the 2021 census, Armstrong Creek had a population of 11,247.
The Barwon Sewer Aqueduct is a heritage-listed aqueduct across the Barwon River at Goat Island, Breakwater, Victoria, Australia. It was designed by engineer E. G. Stone and was erected between 1913-1915. It would appear to be the only one of its kind in Australia in terms of its length and the use of Considère's construction technique. The aqueduct appears to be the last example in Australia of Armand Considère's system of reinforcing for concrete structures. It was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 23 October 1991.