Tree Removal Lake Gardens
Lake Gardens is young for a suburb so close to the centre of Ballarat. Until the mid-2000s the land was all public, mostly the grounds of the old Ballarat Asylum, later Lakeside Hospital. The housing estate went up from about 2005, and its population jumped from 353 in 2001 to 1,751 in 2006.
So many garden trees in Lake Gardens are around 20 years old. That’s the age when trees planted close to houses start to become a problem, and it shapes most tree work here.
This page is from Tree Removal Ballarat. It covers those maturing estate trees, who looks after the trees around the suburb, and storm exposure next to the lake.
Trees that have grown up with the estate
Trees planted when the estate was new are now big enough to reach roofs and gutters, push against fences and lift paving. The common jobs are:
- removing a tree planted too close to the house or boundary
- pruning branches back off roofs and neighbours’ properties
- lifting canopies over driveways and paths
- grinding out stumps so the area can be turfed or paved. See stump removal.
Removing a 20-year-old tree is much simpler than waiting until it’s 40.
Before removing one, check your title for any covenant about vegetation, and whether the tree was part of the estate’s approved landscape plan. Some estates required particular trees to be planted.
Whose tree is it?
Lake Gardens is surrounded by public open space, so a lot of the trees you see aren’t on private land.
| Where the tree is | Who looks after it |
|---|---|
| Your front or back garden | You, subject to any permit, covenant or landscape plan condition |
| Nature strips and the lake reserve within the estate | The City of Ballarat |
| Ballarat Botanical Gardens and the former zoo grounds to the east | The City of Ballarat. The Botanical Gardens are on the Victorian Heritage Register. |
| Sturt Street, on the southern boundary | The City of Ballarat, as part of the heritage-listed Avenue of Honour. See our Alfredton page. |
If a council tree is dropping branches into your yard, report it to the City of Ballarat rather than cutting it back yourself.
Storms next to the lake
Lake Gardens backs onto major heritage parkland. In one major storm, about 20 trees were lost in the Botanical Gardens and along the western shore of Lake Wendouree, right next to Lake Gardens, three of them on Ballarat’s significant tree register. Big trees in open parkland catch the wind.
If you have large trees in your own garden facing the parkland, have them checked before winter. See our arborist page.
Nearby areas
Next door, Wendouree is to the north, and Alfredton is across Sturt Street.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in my Lake Gardens garden?
It depends on the tree, any covenant on your title, and the estate’s planning conditions. Native trees and trees on the Exceptional Tree Register can also need approval. VicPlan shows the overlays on your address.
A tree in the lake reserve hangs over my fence. Can I prune it?
No. Reserve trees belong to the City of Ballarat. Report it to council and they’ll decide what to do.
Should I remove a tree that’s lifting my paving?
Not automatically. Sometimes the paving can be relaid around the roots. If the tree is too close to the house, removing it while it’s still young is the cheaper option.
What should I send for a quote?
Photos of the tree, a rough height, what’s nearby (the house, fences, neighbours), and the width of your side access.
Get a quote in Lake Gardens
Send photos and your address through the form, or call to talk it through.