The Wendouree Weekly

The Wendouree Weekly A page covering Wendouree, Ballarat North, Lake Wendouree, Invermay Park, Lake Gardens and Mitchell Park

A bloke aged in his late 20s has been nabbed and slapped with charges after what cops say was an attempted armed robbery...
10/08/2025

A bloke aged in his late 20s has been nabbed and slapped with charges after what cops say was an attempted armed robbery on two Year 9 St Pat’s College kids in Ballarat last month.

It all went down at about 7 am on Tuesday, July 29 – at the corner of Sturt and Lyons Street, when the fella allegedly pulled a knife on the boys and demanded their phones and cash.

The kids, thankfully, didn’t hand over a thing and weren’t physically hurt – but you can bet they were rattled.

A passer-by swooped in to help and got them to a nearby café, where a St Pat’s staff member took over before police and parents were called.

Cops reckon the suspect was spotted strolling down Dana Street after the incident like nothing happened.

The Ballarat Divisional Response Unit later tracked him down and hit him with two counts of attempted armed robbery. He fronted the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

St Pat’s principal Steven O’Connor fired off a letter to parents – saying the kids are getting counselling and support, and urging parents to remind their kids to keep their wits about them when travelling to and from school.

Horrific that kids can’t even walk to school without some knife-wielding bozo trying to mug them. Good on the passer-by for stepping in – could’ve been a very different story!

The original Ballarat Community Noticeboard Facebook group was recently removed by Facebook.A new backup group has now b...
05/08/2025

The original Ballarat Community Noticeboard Facebook group was recently removed by Facebook.

A new backup group has now been created – search “Ballarat Community Noticeboard Official Backup” to join.

A peaceful morning on Wendouree Parade turned into som**hing out of a nightmare today – a family of four black swans tor...
31/07/2025

A peaceful morning on Wendouree Parade turned into som**hing out of a nightmare today – a family of four black swans torn apart in a flash of metal and indifference.

One of the swans was run over and killed by a ute right in front of stunned onlookers, including children on their way to school.

The remaining three swans stood by, helpless, watching as their family member was moved lifeless to the side of the road.

It happened around school drop-off time. One Ballarat mum, waiting patiently as the swans crossed the road, watched in disbelief as the car in front began creeping forward.

“Mum, he’s driven over it,” her son said quietly from the back seat. What followed left bystanders shaken and some in tears.

Another witness got out and gently moved the body to the side – while the surviving swans circled back, visibly distressed, unwilling to leave.

What unfolded today wasn’t just a tragic accident – it was a brutal reminder of the cost of carelessness.

And of what happens when the lives of our local wildlife are treated as roadkill statistics instead of living, grieving creatures.

Who else is keen as mustard for Flip Out to finally open in Wendouree next month?! 🎉Yep – the trampoline park is bouncin...
26/07/2025

Who else is keen as mustard for Flip Out to finally open in Wendouree next month?! 🎉

Yep – the trampoline park is bouncing into the Eureka Homemaker Centre on Learmonth Road, and it looks to be an absolute ripper! 🎈

We’re talkin’ wall-to-wall trampolines, a basketball court, airbags, parkour zones, and even a full-blown ninja warrior course! 😮

And if that’s not enough – they’re throwing fitness classes, karaoke nights, and wild house parties where you can bounce to the beat! 🎶

Toddlers get their own playgroup sessions, and there’ll be sensory-friendly sessions too for those on the spectrum needing a chilled-out vibe! 💭

Who’s pumped?! 🕺

Ballarat Grammar’s junior campus in Wendouree is in absolute chaos – with insiders calling it “dangerously unsafe” and d...
29/06/2025

Ballarat Grammar’s junior campus in Wendouree is in absolute chaos – with insiders calling it “dangerously unsafe” and dishing up claims of full-blown violence.

Dozens of families have spoken to the ABC, the Herald Sun and the Courier, resulting in a string of news stories painting a grim picture of what’s going on behind the gates.

We’re talking kids being punched, slapped, shoved, bitten, kicked – the whole messy lot. It’s reportedly gotten so bad that classrooms have had to be evacuated more than once.

But it’s not just the physical stuff. Students are allegedly copping verbal abuse too – being called racist and sexist slurs on the regular.

According to those in the know, the joint’s spiralling, and the school’s doing bu**er all about it.

And this ain’t a bargain bin school either – day kids are forking out up to $26k a year, boarders up to $50k. For that kind of coin, you’d expect a bit of order – not a playground battleground.

One source didn’t hold back: “The kids don’t feel safe. It’s the same as the boarding house issues. The school knows about it but does nothing. It’s dangerously unsafe.”

Speaking of the boarding house – it’s got its own ugly rep.

More than a dozen families have allegedly flagged a toxic culture filled with grooming, violence, and physical punishments, some targeting kids as young as 12.

The stories are rough: seniors allegedly dishing out beatings, forcing other students to eat off the ground, strip naked, and even swim in Lake Wendouree in the dead of night.

Apparently a few were expelled earlier this year – but some reckon that’s just scratching the surface.

Now the Victorian Registration and Quality Authority is sniffing around and looking into the school's boarding licence. About bloody time.

The school’s response? Pretty much the stock-standard PR line: they won’t talk about “individual student matters” and reckon all allegations are “thoroughly investigated.”

But when your own website talks up “zero tolerance” and “shared responsibility,” while kids are getting smacked around and terrorised, those words start to ring a bit hollow, eh?

Plenty of folks in the community are asking the same thing: where the hell is the accountability?

Cops got quite the wake-up call in Wendouree after spotting a bloke snoozing behind the wheel of a Toyota Prado on Marga...
26/06/2025

Cops got quite the wake-up call in Wendouree after spotting a bloke snoozing behind the wheel of a Toyota Prado on Margaret Street around 7:30am yesterday morning.

Turns out the car had been pinched from Buninyong days earlier, and the driver wasn’t just dreaming – he was allegedly off his chops on gear, with a stash of m**h and GHB riding shotgun.

Police arrested the d***y fella on the spot, gave the Prado a rummage, and found all the usual goodies: drugs, stolen goods, and tools of the trade.

He’s now facing a laundry list of charges, including stealing the car, drug possession, and being way too relaxed in a stolen ride. See ya in court next month – maybe don’t nap through that one, mate.

A fella aged in his mid-20s has copped prison time and a seven-month driving ban after turning the Wendouree Macca’s int...
23/06/2025

A fella aged in his mid-20s has copped prison time and a seven-month driving ban after turning the Wendouree Macca’s into his personal demolition derby.

The drama unfolded when police rolled up to the drive-thru at 5:20am and found the bloke sitting in his car parked at a “suspicious angle.”

Instead of putting the car in park like a normal human, he floored it – reversing into the building, smashing signs, ploughing through a garden bed, and disappearing into the early morning gloom.

Cops had already been after him for a string of petrol thefts and dangerous driving, including a wild incident where he sped through a red light on Humffray Street, pulled an “erratic U-turn,” and forced another driver to take evasive action.

Police literally gave up the chase because his driving was that dodgy. That’s saying som**hing.

But it doesn’t stop there. During the now-infamous “McGetaway,” old mate drove on the footpath, turned his headlights off, and barrelled down the wrong side of Howitt Street.

The car was later spotted in Ballarat North, and he was finally arrested. Again.

Back in court, the magistrate said the Macca’s moment was “terrifying and terribly dangerous,” slamming him for putting lives at risk.

The judge warned if he gets behind the wheel again, he’d better be ready for a much longer stint behind bars – and even asked the lawyer to explain it to him “in red letters.”

The bloke’s lawyer tried his best, blaming a tough upbringing and poor role models, but to be honest, it was a hard sell.

Central Highlands Water has copped a $280,000 slap on the wrist after pumping ammonia-laced sewage into Ballarat’s Yarro...
17/06/2025

Central Highlands Water has copped a $280,000 slap on the wrist after pumping ammonia-laced sewage into Ballarat’s Yarrowee River – and that’s just the start of it.

The pollution fiasco happened when dodgy oxygen analyser readings let treated sewage with sky-high nutrient levels flow straight into the river. It wasn’t until dead fish started popping up that alarm bells really started ringing.

Turns out, this wasn’t some freak accident. The EPA says it could’ve been avoided entirely if CHW had half-decent equipment, properly trained staff, and even a basic grasp of environmental compliance. Instead, they fumbled the ball, poisoned a river, and called it a day.

Now, they’ve been ordered to cough up a total of $280k, invest another $500k into plant upgrades, and throw $100k at local groups to “repair the damage” – all while trying to reassure locals they take it “very seriously.” Yeah, sure they do.

Add in a rushed $6.3 million plant upgrade, and it’s clear CHW are scrambling to cover their arse after an avoidable, embarrassing failure. Locals deserve better than rivers full of sewage and half-baked apologies.

People from across central and western Victoria recently gathered at the Caltex servo in Wendouree to send a clear messa...
07/06/2025

People from across central and western Victoria recently gathered at the Caltex servo in Wendouree to send a clear message to Ballarat locals: “Boycott Caltex!” ⛽

The rally was part of a growing push to hold companies accountable for their ties to Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, with Caltex among the brands activists have linked to the ongoing genocide. 🇮🇱

“We got plenty of supportive t***s, and we really enjoyed working together to create a stronger presence than any one group could manage on its own,” organisers said. 🚗

“Boycott Caltex. Free Palestine!” they added. 🇵🇸

Central Victorians are carpooling to Ballarat this weekend to take part in the Global Anti-Chevron Day of Action – joini...
21/05/2025

Central Victorians are carpooling to Ballarat this weekend to take part in the Global Anti-Chevron Day of Action – joining a rising tide of voices calling out Chevron for its role in Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza.

“Caltex is a subsidiary of US corporation Chevron, which is fuelling genocide by funnelling millions of dollars to the apartheid state, and the main actor in the energy blockade of Gaza,” reported Free Palestine Central Victoria.

“Chevron is a global BDS target,” they added. “Don’t fill up with fuel that fuels genocide.”

The protest targets Chevron’s deep financial ties to Israel – a nation now facing mounting international condemnation for its ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

From bombing hospitals to starving civilians, the Israeli regime has repeatedly used Western corporate backing to shield and sustain its campaign of devastation.

The Ballarat event will be held on Saturday, May 24 from 11am until 12pm at 1007 Norman Street, Wendouree.

Organisers are calling on anyone with a conscience to show up, speak out, and help turn up the heat on Chevron.

Works are underway on a new large-format retail hub on Learmonth Road in Wendouree. The site’s at 121A Learmonth Rd, plo...
10/05/2025

Works are underway on a new large-format retail hub on Learmonth Road in Wendouree. The site’s at 121A Learmonth Rd, plonked between the Eureka Home Maker Centre and Caravan Street, and earthworks kicked off back in March.

The plan is to whack in a bunch of bulky goods outlets – with showrooms ranging from 1000 to 2700 square metres – and about 362 car parks to go with it. Tenants are expected to cover the usual suspects: furniture, homewares, auto gear, haberdashery and leisure stuff.

Property agents reckon it’s the “last ticket” into the Wendouree retail strip, which already has a decent pile of national chains clogging up the golden mile. So yep, another big box centre is on the way – make of that what you will.

On the 22nd of November 1973, Sherrlynn Mitchell left her Ballarat home, planning to meet a friend at the bus stop. But ...
01/04/2025

On the 22nd of November 1973, Sherrlynn Mitchell left her Ballarat home, planning to meet a friend at the bus stop. But when the bus pulled up, her friend stepped off to find nothing but an empty street. Sherrlynn had vanished.

She never returned to work at the Ballarat Woollen Mills. Her wages and holiday pay went uncollected. There were no calls, no letters, no trace of where she had gone. One moment, she was part of the world, and the next, she was gone – leaving behind a family trapped in a nightmare without answers.

Her mother, Betty, spent decades waiting, hoping, and dreading. From her home in Wendouree, she kept a silent vigil, expecting every knock at the door, every phone call, every passing face in a crowd to be the moment Sherrlynn came back. But as the years passed, the silence stretched on.

“It never gets easier, it’s really hard all the time,” she revealed years later. “It feels like it was just yesterday. You always get that feeling that she could walk in the front door.”

As if fate hadn’t already been unkind enough, Betty suffered another devastating loss when a second daughter was tragically killed in a car accident. But while she was able to bury one child, the other remained a mystery – a wound that never healed, an absence that never faded.

Even in her later years, Betty clung to hope. When a new police unit was created to investigate long-term missing persons cases, she dared to believe that, even after all that time, someone might finally uncover the truth.

But the answers never came. Betty grew old with the weight of not knowing, and when she passed away, she took with her the hope of ever seeing her baby girl again.

And decades later, the mystery still remains. What ever happened to Sherrlynn?

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