Pioneer Park Dog Off Leash Area

5 McKenzie Drive, Wendouree VIC, 3355


Huge grassy area with a very interesting design. A big car park, shelter with a table, water tap with bowl and bins.

Gravel paths lined with trees run through the area. One part of the north side has thick, long grass which might be habitat for snakes during the warmer weather.



The west end of the park has a shelter with a table.

In the middle of the park there are two ponds. The perimeter of the park along the road has a fence.

Gistory of Pioneer Park

In the late 1980's, the Shire of Ballarat was among numerous municipalities provided with funding to mark the 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia. Pioneer Park was established to reflect the history and pioneering spirit of the district.



The concept was to create a public park to serve passive re-creational purposes. A competition was run to determine the landscape architecture and planning. The successful design came from students from the University of Melbourne's School of Environmental Planning.

The landscape plan called for the naturally occurring earth forms of the Shire - the mountains, lakes and plains - to be re-created at scale. The park also incorporates a Shire Presidents' avenue, with a tree planted for each President of the Shire since 1863.