The City of Greater Bendigo has commenced work on a major $3M project to transform the former Municipal Baths located next to Faith Leech Aquatic Centre in Barnard Street into an attractive urban park with a lakeside loop track and boardwalk to open it up for community use.
City of Greater Bendigo Presentation and Assets Director Brian Westley said the Bendigo Municipal Baths were constructed in 1912/13 on the site of an existing dam as Bendigo’s primary location for swimming and bathing until the development of the adjacent Faith Leech Aquatic Centre in the 1950s.
“Originally more than twice its current size, the former Bendigo Municipal Baths facility once featured change rooms, training infrastructure, jetties and a grandstand. Over time, the old infrastructure was removed, and the site was fenced off to the public in the 1980s,” Mr Westley said.
“This is an exciting project that will renew the site with new infrastructure and open an area of land that is currently not accessible to the public for the enjoyment of the wider community. It is also a key action of the 2014 Rosalind Park Masterplan which recommends opening-up and restoring the site for community use.
“Preliminary works have commenced and have involved dewatering the water body and removal of low-value and weed species vegetation. Upcoming works will include the removal of the island and de-sludging works.
The project will also include:
- Works to stabilise the dam wall that forms part of the adjacent laneway
- Sludge removal and water quality improvements.
- Removal of perimeter fencing
- Installation of irrigated lawn areas, park seating and pedestrian lighting
- Planting of shade trees and attractive park landscaping
- Construction of a loop walking path and installation of a board walk on the eastern side of the water body
- Construction of a picnic shelter at the Gaol Road end of the water body (subject to this fitting within the existing fixed project budget)
The project is expected to be complete before the end of 2024.
