Channels and Reedbeds

Lake Channels
The lake channels between the reed beds are all named. Shoppee's Cutting, named after a mayor of Ballarat, runs from east to west. The Vin R Allan Channel, from north to south, is the widest and was the last to be put through. (Vin. R. Allan was secretary of the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society from 1920 to 1933.) Taylor's Cutting runs from south-east to north-west directly out from the site of Taylor's boatshed. The narrow channel of water outside Fairyland is known as Wonderland.

Reed Beds
The reed beds of Tall Spike-rush are not cut, in fact since 1950 they have been cultivated to be windbreaks for the rowing course. They are also an essential element of the lake ecosystem and vital to its health by decreasing turbidity and thus maintaining areas of sparkling clear water. The reed beds are also sanctuaries for the waterfowl. In the breeding season of the Great Crested Grebe, their nests of water weed are carefully avoided by the weedcutter (aquatic plant harvester).

The old weedcutter and a ferry making their way through Fairyland.

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Email : The Robert Clark Centre rccadmin@ballarat.vic.gov.au
URL : http://www.ballaratbotanicalgardens.com/lake/channel.htm