Woowookarung Regional Park

Woowookarung Regional Park

JULY 19, 2017

A new Aboriginal park name for Ballarat’s new 641ha regional park was announced today by the Andrews Labor Government.

The Canadian Regional Park will be given the new name of Woowookarung Regional Park, to acknowledge the deep engagement of the Wadawurrung people with the park and local area.

Woowookarung means ‘Place of Plenty’ which highlights its importance to Wadawurrung for food, shelter, medicine and culture.

An extensive community consultation for the new name was run by Parks Victoria in 2016.

The consultation showed strong support for the new name, with many respondents adding additional comments expressing their deep desire for a name which acknowledges its location in Wadawurrung Country.

Ms D’Ambrosio also announced that Parks Victoria is commencing a wide-reaching community consultation which will guide the planning, design and management of Woowookarung.

The 641ha Woowookarung Regional Park located on Ballarat’s eastern edge will offer a wide range of recreational opportunities including walking, mountain bike riding and horse riding in selected areas, as well as cultural experiences.

The park will help to protect local native flora and fauna, including threatened Yarra Gums, as well as providing habitat for resident koalas and other native animals and birds.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“The community fought so hard to protect this park and now they have a park named for, and by, the community.”

“Woowookarung Regional Park means so much to so many people and this is an opportunity to breathe fresh life into park planning and management, and bring greater and more creative benefits to the whole community.”

Quote attributable to Member for Buninyong Geoff Howard

“It’s fitting that Woowookarung Regional Park is now named to reflect its traditional history with this land preserved for people to come together and appreciate it.”

ABOUT THE PARK

Woowookarung Regional Park offers recreational, natural, social and cultural experiences for local residents and the broader community. It helps to protect native flora, fauna and preserve cultural values for all Victorians.

The park is a wonderful community success story. The Friends of Canadian Corridor activated a broad-based two year community campaign to secure and protect the park for future generations. This was realised in the 2014 State Government election.

Park planning and community consultation is currently underway and Parks Victoria is working in the park towards supporting safe and enjoyable experiences for visitors by undertaking priority works.

The main focus is on improving tracks, signs and undertaking activities to reduce rubbish dumping. We welcome support from the community in reducing rubbish dumping and unsocial behaviors in the park.

Historically, the park was cleared for mining, forestry and open space. It currently has many tracks, many unmarked and informal.

The Parks Victoria plan was created through consultation and collaboration with Wadawurrung, the Traditional Owners. Local community, including Friends of Canadian Corridor, Ballarat City Council, residents, interested user groups, schools, universities and the broader Victorian community were also be involved.

Sensory and Dementia Walk

Woowookarung

Regional

Park

offers

recreational,

natural,

social

and

cultural

experiences

for

local

residents

and

the

broader

community.

It

helps

to

protect

native

flora,

fauna

and

preserve

cultural

values

for

all

Victorians.

The

park

is

a

wonderful

community

success

story.

The

Friends

of

Canadian

Corridor

activated

a

broad

‐

based

two

year

community

campaign

to

secure

and

protect

the

park

for

future

generations.

This

was

realised

in

the

2014

State

Government

election.

Park

planning

and

community

consultation

is

currently

underway

and

Parks

Victoria

is

working

in

the

park

towards

supporting

safe

and

enjoyable

experiences

for

visitors

by

undertaking

priority

works.

The

main

focus

is

on

improving

tracks,

signs

and

undertaking

activities

to

reduce

rubbish

dumping.

We

welcome

support

from

the

community

in

reducing

rubbish

dumping

and

unsocial

behaviors

in

the

park.

Woowookarung

Regional

Park

offers

recreational,

natural,

social

and

cultural

experiences

for

local

residents

and

the

broader

community.

It

helps

to

protect

native

flora,

fauna

and

preserve

cultural

values

for

all

Victorians.

The

park

is

a

wonderful

community

success

story.

The

Friends

of

Canadian

Corridor

activated

a

broad

‐

based

two

year

community

campaign

to

secure

and

protect

the

park

for

future

generations.

This

was

realised

in

the

2014

State

Government

election.

Park

planning

and

community

consultation

is

currently

underway

and

Parks

Victoria

is

working

in

the

park

towards

supporting

safe

and

enjoyable

experiences

for

visitors

by

undertaking

priority

works.

The

main

focus

is

on

improving

tracks,

signs

and

undertaking

activities

to

reduce

rubbish

dumping.

We

welcome

support

from

the

community

in

reducing

rubbish

dumping

and

unsocial

behaviors

in

the

park.

Woowookarung

Regional

Park

offers

recreational,

natural,

social

and

cultural

experiences

for

local

residents

and

the

broader

community.

It

helps

to

protect

native

flora,

fauna

and

preserve

cultural

values

for

all

Victorians.

The

park

is

a

wonderful

community

success

story.

The

Friends

of

Canadian

Corridor

activated

a

broad

‐

based

two

year

community

campaign

to

secure

and

protect

the

park

for

future

generations.

This

was

realised

in

the

2014

State

Government

election.

Park

planning

and

community

consultation

is

currently

underway

and

Parks

Victoria

is

working

in

the

park

towards

supporting

safe

and

enjoyable

experiences

for

visitors

by

undertaking

priority

works.

The

main

focus

is

on

improving

tracks,

signs

and

undertaking

activities

to

reduce

rubbish

dumping.

We

welcome

support

from

the

community

in

reducing

rubbish

dumping

and

unsocial

behaviors

in

the

park.

Meandering through native bushland on Wadawurrung Country, the $440,000 trail is designed to evoke positive memories, feelings and sensations for people living with dementia at a range of different stopping places.

The project was initiated by Ballarat local Anne Tudor, an advocate for dementia-friendly communities and co-founder of the Bigger Hearts Dementia Alliance Ballarat. 

Accessible for wheelchairs and carers, assistance dogs, and groups from residential aged care facilities, the trail offers visitors an experience in nature that can be enjoyed in different ways throughout their journey with dementia.

Built by Parks Victoria, the trail was co-designed with people living with dementia and their carers, Ballarat community health groups, the Department of Health and Dementia Australia. Funding was also provided by Parks Victoria major project partner CDC Victoria and supporting partners CMV Truck & Bus and Volvo Bus Australia.

Katy Ryans Road

From Jeff Rootes. (Friends of the Canadian Corridor)

Ryans have owned the block on the corner of Elsworth Street and Katy Ryan Road for a long time. In 1889 B Ryan is shown on the Ballarat - Buninyong railway map as the owner as does the old Shire of Buninyong titles map also.

We think Katy Ryan had a shop on the site as the passing trade from Clarendon and beyond would come past the door (someone told me this and they had some reasons)

Katy Ryans Rd was the shortest and least steep road to Geelong. (In the 1934 aerial image below KRRoad is 9 carts wide at some sections. You can still see the cart tracks the north side towards the top of the Road near Boundary Rd opposite the big dirt dump with Parks Vic tape on it. P.S. Someone is getting prosecuted for the dumps.

Ryans Woodyard was on the corner of Elsworth St and Katy Ryans Rd in the 1940's and closed because it burnt down.

The house was very recently demolished (2022)

Researched and compiled by Andrew Parker 2021. Updated 2023