Waurn Ponds, Victoria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Waurn Ponds Geelong, Victoria
View of the suburb south from Rossack Drive
Waurn Ponds Location in City of Greater Geelong
Population	5,046 (2016 census)
Postcode(s)	3216
LGA(s)	City of Greater Geelong
State electorate(s)	South Barwon
Federal Division(s)	Corangamite
Suburbs around Waurn Ponds: Barrabool Ceres Wandana Heights Barrabool and Mount Moriac Waurn Ponds Highton Mount Moriac Mount Duneed Grovedale

Waurn Ponds is a suburb located south of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. It is mostly a place where people live.

This area is bordered by several roads and landmarks. These include Rossack Drive, the Princes Highway, and the Geelong to Warrnambool railway. You'll also find Deakin University and the large Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre here. Many schools are located nearby, such as Mount Duneed Regional Primary School.

Discovering Waurn Ponds' Past

How Waurn Ponds Got Its Name

The name Waurn Ponds comes from a natural waterway. This watercourse, called the Waurn chain of ponds, flows for over 30 kilometers. It starts near Mount Moriac and eventually reaches the Barwon River.

Some people believe 'Waurn' means "place of many houses" in the Wathaurong Aboriginal language. This might refer to old Aboriginal stone houses. Another idea is that the name came from "Warren's Chain of Ponds."

Early Days and Businesses

In the past, Waurn Ponds was a stop for travelers. Two early hotels, the Victoria Inn (1845–1860) and the Waurn Ponds Inn (1856), served people on the Princes Highway.

Vineyards also started here. David Pettavel began growing grapes in 1848. Because of this, the area was sometimes known as Pettavel in the 1860s. Post offices were important for communication back then. The Pettavel Post Office opened in 1865 and closed in 1952. The Waurn Ponds Post Office opened in 1871 and closed in 1968.

Quarrying and Industry

A quarry for limestone opened in the 1840s. Limestone is a rock used in building. Quarrying still happens today at the nearby Blue Circle Southern cement works. Kilns, which are ovens for making mortar lime, were used until the 1970s.

Waurn Ponds' Growth as a Suburb

Waurn Ponds began to grow as part of Geelong's outer areas in the 1970s. This was helped by the opening of the Deakin University campus and the Waurn Ponds Hotel. Big housing developments started in the early 1990s. Since then, new homes have spread across the hills towards Grovedale.

Historic Places to See

Waurn Ponds has a few sites that are important for their history:

• The Lime Burning Kiln on Princes Highway and 110 Lemins Road.
• The Waurn Ponds Creek Bridge on Princes Highway.

Waurn Ponds Memorial Reserve

The Waurn Ponds Memorial Reserve is a special place. It was originally called the Waurn Ponds Avenue of Honour. It is located at the corner of Cochranes Road and Waurn Ponds Drive.

Honoring Heroes

The Avenue of Honour was planted in July 1919. Local residents planted trees to remember the Waurn Ponds servicemen from World War One.

In 1999, the Victorian State Government planned to sell this land. But local people and the Victorian RSL President, Bruce Ruxton, fought to protect it. They wanted to make sure the Avenue of Honour would not be sold. The government agreed, and the sale was stopped. A group was then set up to manage the reserve.

A special service was held to rededicate the reserve. A plaque was put up with the names of the Waurn Ponds World War One servicemen. In 2000, two more plaques were added. One listed more World War One servicemen. The other honored servicemen and women from Waurn Ponds who served in World War Two.

Today, there are plaques for those who served in the Korean War and Vietnam War. There are also plaques for Royal Australian Air Force Nurses and servicewomen from the Geelong area. The reserve also has a 3.7 Anti Aircraft Gun on display. Every year, a memorial service is held on the first Sunday of July. This marks the anniversary of the Waurn Ponds Memorial Reserve.

Waurn Ponds Hall

The Waurn Ponds Hall is located at 225 Waurn Ponds Drive. It was built in 1924. It was originally a mechanics institute and a free library.

Today, the Hall is used for many local events. People can also rent it for private parties. The back part of the Waurn Ponds Hall was once the original Waurn Ponds State School. It was moved to Grovedale Primary School and later returned to the Hall as an extension.

Exploring Waurn Ponds' Nature

Looking north towards Highton

Waurn Ponds is home to the Waurn Ponds Creek. This small creek starts near the Mount Moriac area. It then flows into the Barwon River near Belmont Common.

In 2007, the creek had low water levels. It was less than one meter deep in most places. It also had a problem with many weeds. However, the creek is home to various fish species. These include Carp, Redfin, Roach, Tench, Australian Grayling, and short finned eels. Many native birds, like the pacific black duck, also live near the creek. More rain would help the creek return to its healthier state.

Protecting the Creek

The Friends of the Waurn Ponds Creek is a community group. They meet twice a month to help protect the creek. They work to keep the creek and its surroundings healthy. This group started in 2002. They have won awards for their efforts to improve the creek. Their work helps protect the native fish and wildlife that live there. The Friends plant trees, clean up rubbish, and manage weeds.

Waurn Ponds has a large parkland that follows the creek. The nearby suburb of Grovedale has a skate park and a baseball complex.

Community Life and Sports

Waurn Ponds has several community facilities. These include the Hall, a Tennis Club, a Cricket Club, and the Memorial Reserve.

Waurn Ponds Tennis Club

The Waurn Ponds Tennis Club is located at 20 Belperroud Road. It is a successful club. It has junior and senior teams that play in the Tennis Geelong Competition.

Waurn Ponds Cricket Club

The Waurn Ponds Cricket Club was started in 1986. It is located on Waurn Ponds Drive, near Deakin University. The club has senior men's teams and junior teams. They play in the Geelong Cricket Association.

In 2012, the boundaries of Waurn Ponds changed. Some land that was part of Mount Duneed became part of Waurn Ponds. This change was due to the development of the nearby Armstrong Creek Growth Area.

Getting Around Waurn Ponds

Waurn Ponds is located on the Princes Highway. This highway connects the suburb to the center of Geelong. Waurn Ponds is also the southern end of the Geelong Ring Road, which was finished in 2009.

Anglesea Road goes south through the suburb. It links the area to Torquay and Anglesea. Pioneer Road connects the region west to Grovedale. This road was not fully built eastward across the Waurn Ponds Creek until the mid-1990s.

Public Transport Options

Buses provide public transport in the area. They are run by CDC Geelong and McHarry's Buslines. These services connect Waurn Ponds to the Geelong city center. Many routes start and end at Deakin University.

• Route 1: Travels from Deakin University to North Shore and back. It goes through Grovedale, Belmont, South Geelong railway station, Geelong, Geelong West, and North Geelong. This bus runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.
• Route 40: Goes from Deakin University to Geelong railway station and back. It passes through Grovedale, Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, Marshall railway station, Breakwater, and East Geelong. This bus runs hourly on weekdays but not on weekends.
• Route 41: Connects Deakin University to Geelong railway station and back. It travels via Waurn Ponds railway station, Grovedale, Waurn Ponds Plaza, Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, Belmont, and South Geelong. It runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends.
• Route 42: From Deakin University to Geelong railway station and back. It goes through Waurn Ponds railway station, Grovedale, Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, Highton, Belmont, and South Geelong. This route runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends.
• Route 43: Travels from Deakin University to Geelong Railway station and back. It passes through Highton and Newtown. This bus runs every 40 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends.

Waurn Ponds Train Station

The Geelong V/Line rail service connects Geelong and Melbourne. This train line was extended to the new Waurn Ponds railway station in 2014. The station is located on Sugargum Drive. During planning, it was called Grovedale, even though it is in Waurn Ponds. The official name, Waurn Ponds, was announced in July 2014.

Before this, there were plans to extend the Geelong train line further. In 2003–2004, money was set aside for a new station beyond South Geelong station. However, that led to a new station being built at Marshall, which is closer to Geelong.

Deakin University Campus

Aerial panorama of Deakin University's Waurn Pond Campus. Shot at altitude of 110m. September 2018.

The Deakin University campus in Waurn Ponds has an interesting history. It began with the Gordon Institute of TAFE. This institute bought land here in 1969. The first building was for Applied Sciences. Later, a library and student housing were built in 1975.

In 1976, the Gordon Institute was split into two parts. The academic courses became part of the new Deakin University. This new university was based at the Waurn Ponds campus.

Deakin University welcomed its first students to the Waurn Ponds campus in 1977. Today, the university is very large. It covers about 365 hectares (about 900 acres). More than 1,000 staff members work there. Over 4,000 students attend classes on campus.

Deakin University offers many social groups for students. The main student group is DUSA (Deakin University Student Association). Another popular group is the Deakin Commerce Students' Society.

Shopping and Retail

Waurn Ponds has several places to shop.

Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre

The Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre is a big shopping center. It serves the southern suburbs of Geelong and the surrounding area. It is located at the corner of Colac Road (Princes Highway) and Pioneer Road.

The center opened in the early 1990s. It has been made bigger many times since then. The most recent expansion finished in August 2014. This made the center's total area 47,000 square meters. It now has over 160 different shops.

Geelong Homemaker Centre

The Geelong Homemaker Centre opened in mid-2005. It is on Colac Road (Princes Highway) at the intersection with Pigdons Road. This center has large stores like Bunnings Warehouse and Harvey Norman. It also has many smaller stores. These include Supercheap Auto, Beacon Lighting, Snooze, Ray's Outdoors, and JB-Hi-Fi.

Waurn Ponds Plaza

Waurn Ponds Plaza is another shopping center. It is located at the intersection of Rossack Drive and Colac Road (Princes Highway). This plaza is also where the office of the federal member for Corangamite, Libby Coker, is located.