Led by the bluestone gothic Bishop's palace (1876) and later the entrepreneur William Bailey (1883), many large mansions and impressive homes were established in the area close to the lake.

[4] Despite the decline in Ballarat's wealth, the march of large expensive homes toward the shores of the lake continued well into the 1920s.

The power station was sold and demolished in the mid 1990s and replaced with a row of houses.

The most prominent park is the Ballarat Botanical Gardens at the west end of the suburb.

It is one of Ballarat's largest and oldest stadiums and hosts both Australian rules football, cricket and a nearby bowling club.