Sturt Street Statue Heritage Walking Trail
Statue heritage walking trail of Sturt Street
1. Peterson Fountain - 1923
This fountain was presented to the city by Danish man C. Peterson, who lived in Ballarat in the early 1900s. The fountain is carved in marble and is surrounded by bronze frogs and a bird, and features a granite circular base. This beautiful fountain also features a pair of marble drinking fountains nearby.
2. Mother Earth
This statue depicting Mother Earth was sculpted in 1952 by George Allen from freestone and granite from Hawkesbury, near Sydney. It was commissioned after a generous bequest from local man Frank Pinkerton. The plaque on the statue reads: 'symbolising central figure earth emerging from relief figures representing the industries of mining and agriculture'.
3. Gordon Memorial
At the western side of the Sturt and Lyons Street crossroads there is magnificent bronze statue of a horse mounted on a stone plinth.
In front, by the gutter, is a hitching post with a plaque inscribed 'A.L. GORDON, AUSTRALIAN POET, 1833 - 1870.'
Adam Lindsay Gordon was a celebrated poet and horseman who set a record at Flemington when he won 3 steeplechases in an afternoon. At Mount Gambier in South Australia he performed an amazing feat on his horse at a place immortalised as 'Gordon's Leap'.
The beautiful statue of a horse is a memorial to the 958,600 horses and mules killed in the First World War. It was sculpted in 1969 by Raymond Ewers and is constructed from cast bronze and granite.
4. Cenotaph
Ballarat's cenotaph, designed by John Shimmin, was constructed from stone hauled from a quarry on the Hawkesbury River near Sydney.
The poignant memorial to those left behind during wartime was constructed after money was raised from generous donations from locals. Fundraising efforts were significantly bolstered after a public plea on local radio station 3BA on Anzac Day, 1948. The Cenotaph cost £2064 and is constructed of massive sandstone blocks set on a granite base.
It was officially unveiled on November 24, 1949 by the then Governor of Victoria, General Sir Dallas Brooks, and carries the inscription 'Our Glorious Dead'.
5. Eternal Flame
World War II 1939 -1945 Memorial
This human-size metal sculpture, in the shape of a flame, is green on three sides and gold on the face to the setting sun. The lettering is set in stone on the ground. The memorial was erected in 1995 by the Ballarat Returned Servicemen's League to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Memorial was designed and constructed by Ballarat sculptor Peter Blizzard and is set on sawn bluestone flags. In-ground lighting ensures the memorial can be seen after dark.
6. Peter Lalor
This impressive bronze statue honours the hero of Eureka, Peter Lalor. The statue, which was sculpted by Nelson McLean in 1892, records Lalor's achievements, which are still remembered in Ballarat today. Bronze reliefs at the granite pedestal base depict the Eureka Stockade, events in Lalor's life and the names of those killed at the Eureka Stockade, which occurred on December 3, 1854.
The statue, which cost £2400, was paid for by a personal friend of Lalor, James Oddie.
7. Korean, Borneo, Malayan & Vietnam Memorial
This moving South East Asian War Memorial was dedicated by Michael Ronaldson MHR in November, 2000 to commemorate the wars in Vietnam, Borneo, Korea and Malaya. It is in the shape of a cross, and is constructed in sawn bluestone. It is framed by formal planting of rosemary and box.
8. Sir Albert Coates
Coates was born in 1895 in modest circumstances, but after leaving school at an early age, undertook night study and excelled as a medical student. He enlisted in the war and served as a medical orderly from 1914, and upon returning to Australia studied medicine. During the next decade he established himself as a leading surgeon and academic. Short and nuggetty, Coates was courageous, honourable and unpretentious. He was renowned for his dedication, skill and wisdom. He died in 1977.
This memorial tells the tale of Sir Albert Coates, and provides an excellent example of contemporary statuary.
9. Queen Alexandra Bandstand
This bandstand, which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, was constructed in 1908 during the heyday of the band movement and named in honour of the then Queen. The structure incorporates fine wrought iron detail and includes musical motifs.
10. William Dunstan Victoria Cross Memorial
This memorial to William Dunstan, Ballarat's Victoria Cross winner was constructed in 1995 as part of the federally funded 'Australia Remembers' project which marked the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is a pink marble and greystone pillar with the Australian Imperial Force crest on the east and a metal plaque on the western side which tells the story. Born in 1895, Dunstan was awarded the Victoria Cross after the Battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli. Following the war, he became the manager and director of newspaper group the Herald & Weekly Times. He died in 1957.
11. King George V Monument
This bronze statue memorial to King George V was constructed in 1938 by talented sculptor Victor Greenhalgh to commemorate the King's Jubilee of 25 years on the throne. The monument is set on a granite backdrop and features a stunning bluestone base.
12. Hebe
This marble statue of Hebe was constructed in 1899 and forms a pair with the statue of Ruth. The statue was donated to the city by wealthy local gentleman John Permewan in 1899, who owned local carrier firm Permewan & Wright and was a well-known local investor.
13. Ruth
This statue was a gift to the people of Ballarat and takes pride of place in Sturt Street. The white marble statue stands proud on a granite base. It was sculpted in 1899 by Charles Summers.
14. Thomas Moore
This statue was designed by Ballarat sculptor George Grant in 1889. The base features striking alternate cream and red square tiling. Fencing once bordered this memorial but has since been removed, allowing closer inspection.
15. Queen Victoria
This statue commemorates the reign of Queen Victoria, and incorporates four bronze scenes from her life. These are the accession to the throne in 1837, the coronation in 1838, the diamond jubilee in 1897 and the signing of the Constitution of the Australian Commonwealth in 1900. It is the work of Sir Bertram MacKennal.
16. Queen Victoria Fountain
This Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain is the second memorial to Queen Victoria in Ballarat. It was presented to the citizens of Ballarat by the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1902 and included a drinking fountain. It incorporates a marble statue of two children on a polished granite column set on a circular granite path. The fountain was restored in 1976.
17. Boer War Memorial
This poignant memorial by sculptor James White commemorates the soldiers who took part in the Boer War in South Africa between 1899 and 1902. The construction of this bronze statue was approved in 1900 and the foundation stone laid a year later. The statue was relocated to the present site and unveiled by Governor General Baron Northcote on November 1, 1906.
18. Burke & Wills Fountain
The Burke and Wills Fountain is the centrepiece of the streetscape at the Sturt and Lydiard Street intersection. The fountain was constructed in 1863 in memory of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, the famous explorers who perished while crossing Australia in 1861. Wills had been a resident of Ballarat, and his father a physician in Humffray Street. The plan for a memorial caused a showdown among locals - rival municipal councils, Ballarat East and Ballarat West, couldn't agree on a site and appropriate design for the fountain, delaying construction for two years.
The monument was finally completed in 1867 and lit by gas in 1868. The fountain became known as 'the grandest candlestick', and was stocked with gold fish and a pair of tortoises.
Locals were outraged when local youths smashed three of the four lamps with slingshots just three weeks after its lamps were lit. The fountain remained unlit for 40 years.
The memorial, which was restored in 1994, lists the names of key people who assisted the explorers in their final expedition.
19. Robert Burns
This statue was erected to commemorate Scottish poet Robert Burns by Ballarat's local Scottish community. Burns was born in Scotland in 1759 and was a popular farmer and poet. Many of his poems were written to be sung to old Scottish folk tunes. He fathered nine children.
The statue of Burns and his dog, which cost £1000, is believed to be the first statue constructed to honour a poet anywhere in Australia. Once the project was under way, passionate locals engaged in heated debates before an appropriate site was selected for the statue.
It was finally erected on the site where a large willow tree known as the 'Loafers Tree' used to grow, named for the 'loafers' who used to sit under it.
The memorial was commissioned by local Scot Thomas Stoddart in 1884 and carved from Italian marble by sculptor John Undy in Italy. It was unveiled in Ballarat 13 years later and inscribed with quotes from Burns. Take a close look at the patterned tiles around the base.
20. Titanic Memorial Bandstand
This beautiful Edwardian bandstand, erected in 1913, is dedicated to the bandsmen who lost their lives aboard the Titanic in 1912, when it sank on its maiden voyage en route from England to the United States of America.
Legend states that the bandsmen continued to play for terrified guests as the mammoth ship sunk. Perched on top of the elaborate terracotta roof of the octangular bandstand is a silhouette of the Titanic, which acts as a weather vane.
The memorial, constructed in 1915, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and was paid for after generous donations from locals, including £150 from the Victorian Band Association. There are only two memorials to the bandsmen of the Titanic in Australia - the second one is in Broken Hill, New South Wales.
21. Perseus
This marble statue of the ancient Greek hero was donated to Ballarat by the National Gallery of Victoria in 1943. It is the work of sculptor J Cranari and dates from the 1880s.
22. Pioneer Miners' Monument
This monument, located on the corner of Sturt and Albert Street, was lovingly constructed by members of the Ballarat Historical Society. It commemorates the discovery of gold at Poverty Point at August 2 1851, and is dedicated to the memory of the Pioneer Miners of Ballarat.
The monument, constructed mostly out of large lumps of quartz, features a miniature gold mine on the top. Mounted on the side is a replica of the Welcome Nugget, which was unearthed near the corner of Humffray and Mair Street in Ballarat on June 9, 1858. The Welcome Nugget was the largest mass of gold ever discovered (weighing 62.8kg) up until that time, and was purchased for £10,500 by the Wittkoski brothers and displayed in Ballarat. A strange tradition began whereby mothers who visited the mammoth nugget were allowed to seat their baby on top of the nugget for good luck. The nugget was eventually shipped to England and melted down into gold sovereigns. A second replica is on display at the Ballarat Gold Museum.
23. James Galloway Monument
This Eight Hour Labour Day Memorial was constructed in 1880 to honour James Galloway, who founded the eight hour system of work in Victoria. This monument was restored in 2001 and unveiled by then-Premier of Victoria Steve Bracks on July 11, 2001. The monument is constructed of quartz and bluestone and incorporates cast-iron lion heads.