Sunday, March 14, 2010

Heritage Buildings and Sturt Street – Ballarat, VIC

Sunday, 14 March, the sun was shining and the feel of autumn was in the air.  Bucko and I decided to go into Ballarat’s CBD for a look around the city ‘to take in’ the sights.  By sights I mean the wonderful architecture of many of Ballarat’s buildings.  A city of immense wealth in the past, when in the 1850s gold was almost ‘running’ in the streets, enabled many graceful buildings to be built.  Buildings made of bluestone and brick, with leadlight windows,  cast iron lace verandas, in various styles.  Designs such as, Venetian, English Gothic, Edwardian Baroque,   Art Nouveau, and Revival styles of Greek, Renaissance, Roman and Gothic; as well as Iron Lace VerandasItalianate Palazzo and Flemish Baroque. IMG_3018

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Banks, Hotels, Churches, Banks, Hotels, Churches, Post Office, Town Hall and Railway Station, to name but a few of the buildings, all solid, usually of three levels and very, very grand.

The main thoroughfare in Ballarat is Sturt Street, which consists of three sections, the left and right sides, with an avenue of huge mature trees down the middle of the 60 metre wide street. 

Nestled amongst the trees can be found:   2 bandstands, 3 fountains, 3 monuments, 6 war memorials and 10 statues! 

IMG_3001The statues of Queen Victoria and Robbie Burns, with sightless eyes, IMG_3034gaze down upon all who wander haphazardly amongst them; tourists with their heads raised upwards, camera in hand, each person attempting to capture for themselves, a photographic memory of the manmade and natural beauty, surrounding the glorious vista of Sturt Street in Ballarat, Victoria. 

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