La Gerche Gully Site

The La Gerche Gully Site (formerly known as the Creswick Landcare Centre) is the spiritual home of the Landcare Education program. The program was originally a site based environmental education program when it began in 1992. Located in the Creswick Regional Park at Creswick (16kms north of Ballarat), the Landcare Centre was established to provide quality environmental education programs to schools and the general community.

The site was originally a Department of Primary Industries (DPI) managed site situated on Department of Sustainability (DSE) Crown land. In 2008, Parks Victoria took over management of the compound area of the centre from DPI. The Landcare Education Coordinator is now based in Box Hill DPI office but is still available to run the site based activities and field trips as usual.

The compound area includes a State Government Office building which accommodates Parks Victoria and Ballarat Region Seed Bank staff. It also contains the Ballarat Region Seed Bank and seed cleaning room, the Round House community centre, the Landcare Education classroom, the historic Creswick nursery (which has been operating since 1888), the historic nursery office and fountain built in 1912 and several glass houses and a propagation shed. There is also an outdoor stage, oval area and electric barbecue.

Facilities outside the compound area in the Creswick Regional Park include the Landcare Trail (opened in 1994), the La Gerche Trail (opened in 1997), a dam, wetland, boardwalk, 3 salinity bores, the historic stable buildings (said to have come from a farm owned by Peter Lalor of Eureka Stockade fame), a seed production area and revegetation area.