Specialist heritage and conservation firm Ivy Constructions has been appointed to remediate the historic walls of the former swimming baths in the Buninyong Botanic Gardens.
The conservation works will provide additional foundations to support and provide long-term stabilisation for the concrete walls of the baths, which have shown varying degrees of leaning.
The works include minor local concrete wall panel replacement, filling cracks, sealing of vertical cracks at the joints of wall panels and posts, and laying gravel to improve surface drainage away from the wall footings.
Heritage Victoria has been involved in the development and approval of the proposal for the restoration, and a heritage permit has been granted for the works.
City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor and Buninyong Ward Councillor Ben Taylor said the important conservation project will preserve and enhance this important heritage-listed asset for future generations.
"The former swimming baths are a much-loved heritage asset of the Buninyong Botanic Gardens," he said.
"These conservation works are designed to preserve this invaluable heritage asset without impacting on the heritage values of the site."
The works will be supervised by a Heritage Victoria-endorsed Heritage Engineer and the City of Ballarat.
The works are expected to be completed by February 2026, subject to weather delays or unforeseen issues.
The former swimming baths, situated in the picturesque Buninyong Botanic Gardens, are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and represent an important piece of Buninyong's recreational and social history.
First constructed as a bluestone water reservoir in 1860, the baths were used as a swimming pool from 1872 until they were closed due to a high E-Coli count in the 1930s.
The concrete wall was erected in the early 1920s by returned servicemen under the direction of Shire Engineer C.P. Wilson, an early advocate for reinforced concrete.
In the early 1990s, the baths were transformed into a garden to celebrate their historical significance. The garden will be restored once the wall conservation works have been completed.
