Backyard Biodiversity

Encouraging wildlife-friendly gardening in urban Ballarat

Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat is delivering a new program in 2025-26 for the local community, funded by the City of Ballarat through the Ballarat Community Education for Sustainability and Environment project. Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat is a community-based gardening program that provides advice and ideas to those interested in making more wildlife friendly spaces in urban gardens.

The program will be delivered in collaboration with other local groups, including Ballarat East Neighbourhood House which is the delivery partner, supporting the program through promotion and administration.

There are a range of Backyard Biodiversity activities on offer, including:

1. Spring Walking Tour: Woowookarung Forest (Complete)
2. Spring Walking Tour: Creswick Forest (Complete)
3. Workshop: Propagation and Nursery Tour (Complete)
4. Presentation: Gardening for Wildlife (Complete)
5. Presentation: Indigenous Plants for Ballarat Gardens (Saturday 21 March)
6. Workshop: Nestboxes, bee hotels and bird baths (Saturday 18 April)
7. Autumn Walking Tour: North Gardens Reserve
8. Workshop: Planning a Garden for Wildlife
9. Workshop: Planning a Nature Strip/Pollinator garden
10. Workshop: Propagation and Nursery Tour
11. Planting: Creating a garden for wildlife in a public space
12. Planting: Creating a Nature Strip/Pollinator garden in a public space

Activity 6: Become a Bush Architect - Build a Wildlife Hotel

Simple additions to your garden can make a world of difference for local wildlife. In this hands-on workshop we’ll explore the vital role that nestboxes can play in enhancing biodiversity, how to choose a design suitable to your local wildlife, where to hang it, how to maintain it and how to check who’s been visiting.

Under guidance and in small teams, you’ll build a Wildlife Hotel suitable for a variety of users from microbats, to pardalotes to possums and birds. This is a new design, so the built boxes will be donated to a local wildlife group to trial and gather data on their effectiveness.

By participating in this workshop, you’ll gather the skills and confidence to build any nestbox and will be provided with plans for more traditional boxes to take home for whatever wild creatures visit your garden.

Ballarat Community Men’s Shed, Barkly Square, Ballarat East (25-39 Barkly Street, Ballarat East) 

Date: Saturday 18 April

Time: 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

REGISTER HERE (limited places remaining)

Wear sturdy fully enclosed shoes and old clothes. Bring your own battery drill if possible.

Venue Access: Barkly Square is at 25-39 Barkly Street, Ballarat East (opposite Ballarat East Fire Station). The Community Men’s Shed is in an unnamed lane on the uphill (north-east) side of the complex. Best parking is on Barkly Street opposite the Ballarat Fire Station or in the Barkly Square carpark off Princes Street (requiring a short uphill walk). For more information on accessing Barkly Square, see here for further information and a link to an accessibility map.  

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided and toilet facilities are available.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others.

If you have access requirements, special dietary requirements or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to make your experience more positive, please contact the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House team.

Hosted by:
Delivery Partners:
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Activity 7: Birds and their Habitat Autumn Walking Tour - Fairyland and North Gardens Wetland, Lake Wendouree

Come for a guided walk with G4WB and our friends from Birdlife Ballarat. We’ll break into small groups to tour familiar spots such as Fairyland and the North Gardens Wetlands with our expert guides introducing us to the local birds, their behaviour and preferred habitat. It isn’t all about the swans! We’re likely to encounter small song birds who make this area home and we hope you’ll leave with a new appreciation of how you might tailor your own garden to encourage these small, entertaining and fascinating feathered visitors.

Fairyland and North Gardens Wetland, Lake Wendouree

Date: Sunday 31 May

Time: 10.00 am - 11.30 pm, followed by a cuppa

REGISTER NOW

Meeting spot: Meet at the cannons near Piper’s by the Lake, located at 403 Wendouree Parade, opposite the main gate into the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. The cannons are near the south west corner of the building on Wendouree Parade. Best parking is on either side of Wendouree Parade.Transport is available from Barkly Square, departing at 9.40 am and returning at approximately 12.15 pm (booking essential).

Wear sturdy fully enclosed shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. A coat is highly recommended. Bring binoculars if you have or can borrow some.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided and toilet facilities are available nearby on the northwest corner of the Botanical Gardens.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others.

If you have access requirements, special dietary requirements or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to make your experience more positive, please contact the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House team.

Hosted by:
Delivery Partners:
Funded by:

Activity 8: Workshop - Planning a Garden for Wildlife

Ballarat East Neighbourhood House, Room 102, Ground Floor, Barkly Square, Ballarat East (25-39 Barkly Street, Ballarat East) 

Date: Saturday 13 June

Time: 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

Details to come.

Activity 9: Workshop - Planning a pollinator /nature strip garden

Ballarat East Neighbourhood House, Room 102, Ground Floor, Barkly Square, Ballarat East (25-39 Barkly Street, Ballarat East) 

Date: Saturday 25 July

Time: 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

Details to come.

About Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat

Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat is a community-based gardening program that provides advice and ideas to those interested in making more wildlife friendly spaces in urban gardens.

Whether you have a big backyard, a tiny courtyard, a community garden, a school veggie patch, or pot plants on your balcony, everyone can help contribute to the survival of wildlife by providing suitable places (habitat) for birds, insects, frogs, lizards and other animals.

By participating in the program and becoming engaged in wildlife gardening, you too are a volunteer helping our community to foster local nature. Private landholders can play a critical role in creating a healthy and thriving environment in urban and peri-urban areas.

Connecting to nature in our gardens is also good for our health!

By creating a garden that is wildlife-friendly we can:

• Help conserve local plants and animals by planting more habitat
• Have time to enjoy our gardens by being less tidy, reducing maintenance time and costs
• Reduce water use and evaporation through mulching and use of local native plant species which are better able to tolerate drought conditions
• Have native birds and insects in our gardens providing natural pest control and promoting increased pollination for better fruit/seed set
• Enjoy close encounters with native animals in our gardens and encourage children to appreciate nature up close  

Past Events

Activity 5: Local Native Plants for Ballarat Gardens

Get to know our flowering neighbours at this presentation that introduces you to some of the beautiful small trees, shrubs and groundcovers that grow naturally in the forests and grasslands around Ballarat. We’ll focus on the plants that look great and grow well in gardens, learning how to recognise them, how to grow and care for them, and how to use them in your garden to show them off at their best. As well as looking fabulous, local natives bring local wildlife into your garden by offering food, shelter and habitat for butterflies, native bees, birds and other pollinators. 

Theatre, Ground Floor, Barkly Square, Ballarat East (25-39 Barkly Street, Ballarat East) 

Date: Saturday 21 March

Time: 10.30 am - 12.00 noon

REGISTER HERE

Venue Access: Best parking is on Barkly Street opposite the Ballarat Fire Station or in the Barkly Square carpark off Princes Street (requiring a short uphill walk). For more information on accessing Barkly Square, see here for further information and a link to an accessibility map.  

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided and toilet facilities are available.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others.

If you have access requirements, special dietary requirements or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to make your experience more positive, please contact the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House team.

Hosted by:
Delivery Partners:
Funded by:

Activity 4: Wildlife by Design: Creating a Garden That Gives Back

Want a garden that buzzes with life, sings with birdsong, and supports the creatures that call your backyard home? Join us for an inspiring presentation on how to choose the right plants and structure your garden to become a thriving habitat for wildlife.

Learn how native plants, layered vegetation, and thoughtful design can transform any outdoor space into a sanctuary for birds, insects, reptiles, and more. We’ll cover:

• Which plants attract pollinators, seed-eaters, and shelter-seekers
• How to use logs, rocks, and water features to support diverse species
• The importance of canopy, understory, and ground cover in habitat creation

Whether you have a sprawling yard or a modest balcony, you’ll leave with practical ideas and ecological insights to make your garden a haven for biodiversity.

Theatre, Ground Floor, Barkly Square, Ballarat East (25-39 Barkly Street, Ballarat East) 

Date: Saturday 28 February

Time: 10.30 am - 12.00 noon

Best parking is on Barkly Street opposite the Ballarat Fire Station or in the Barkly Square carpark off Princes Street (requiring a short uphill walk). For more information on accessing Barkly Square, see here for further information and a link to an accessibility map.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided and toilet facilities are available.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others.

If you have access requirements, special dietary requirements or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to make your experience more positive, please contact the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House team.

Activity 3: Propagation Workshop and Nursery Tour

Let’s learn how to grow our own local native plants at this hands-dirty workshop. If you’ve got plants you love already, why not make more to pop into other spaces in your garden or share with neighbours and friends? It’s rewarding and simple. We’ll take cuttings, sow seed and prick out several different species. Take a guided tour of the Nursery to find out how 30,000 indigenous plants are nurtured and readied for planting in gardens, parks and reserves around Ballarat and select a few to take home for your own garden.

City of Ballarat Indigenous Plant Nursery

Date: Wednesday 18 February

Time: 11.00am - 12.30pm

BOOKED OUT 

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others. 

Activity 2: Come for a walk ….. in Creswick Forest

REGISTER BELOW - Registrations essential as places are limited.

Let’s explore a small patch of local bushland on this free family-friendly guided stroll along Slaty Creek and surrounding forest. Along the way we’ll look for wildflowers, introduce you to the sights and sounds of local birds, familiarise you with the trees and shrubs that make up their habitat and start you thinking about the benefits of growing local flora to create a wildlife haven in your own patch.

Creswick Forest, Slaty Creek Picnic Ground 1

Date: Sunday 30 November

First Walk: 2.00 pm - 3.15 pm (BOOKED OUT)

Second Walk: 3.30 pm - 4.45 pm

2.00pm Walk: Transport is available from Barkly Square, departing at 1.15pm and returning at approximately 4.00pm.  Alternatively, meet G4WB outside Creswick Town Hall by 1.45pm and follow in your own vehicle.

3.30pm Walk: There is no transport offered for the 3.30pm walk. Please make your way to Slaty Creek Picnic/Campground 1 by 3.20pm or meet G4WB outside Creswick Town Hall by 3.15pm and follow in your own vehicle.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided and there are basic toilet facilities.

Total return walking distance is less than 2 km. The track is rough in places so wear sturdy shoes, long trousers and sleeves, hat and sunscreen and bring a water bottle.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others. 

Hosted by:
Delivery Partners:
Funded by:

Activity 1: Come for a walk ….. in Woowookarung

Let’s discover a small part of Woowookarung forest and its cultural heritage on this free guided stroll. Along the way we’ll look for wildflowers, introduce you to the sights and sounds of local birds, learn about traditional Wadawurrung relationships with forest plants and animals and start you thinking about the benefits of growing local flora to create a wildlife haven in your own patch.

Woowookarung, Dementia-friendly Forest and Sensory Trail
Date: Monday 27 October
Time  10.00 am - 12.15 pm

Transport is available from Barkly Square, departing at 10.00 am and returning at approximately 12.15pm. This will need to be booked through the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House. Alternatively, please meet us at the trail head in Katy Ryans Road by 10.15 am.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided but there are no toilet facilities.

Total return walking distance is approximately 2.5 km on a paved gentle gradient suitable for prams and wheelchairs. Please wear sturdy shoes, long trousers, hat and sunscreen and bring a water bottle.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Please cancel your ticket/s if you can no longer attend so that we can make your place available to others.

Hosted by:
Delivery Partners:
Funded by: