Des Brennan Park Playground, Western Highway, Buangor
The park is located in the centre of town and you need to get off the highway town bypass or you will miss it altogether. The playground is set under a big shade sail and has a structure with wave slide, cubby seats, steps, arched walkway, fireman poles, ladder made from horizontal bars, spiral ladder, steering wheel, tunnel and rope ladder. Also a structure with a rope spiders web climbing frame and monkey bars. Beside this is a red sports car and unshaded swings.
A bike path leads into the bushland past free tennis courts and an outdoor gym with an elliptical trainer, chest press and sit-up bench. Next to an oval and cricket nets.
There is a shelter without seats and a building with shaded outside area.
Cobb & Co. Stables
There is an interesting building at the entrance to the park, former Cobb & Co. stables.
As the Ararat gold fields developed during the 1850s Buangor became an important changing station on the coaching route to Melbourne. Coaches provided the main service for passengers and mail until arrival of the railway in 1875.
This building, known locally as the Cobb & Co. Stables dates from about 1861, and was erected to serve as a changing stable where fresh horse teams could be coupled to the coach or the gold escort vehicle. The upper floor provided a storage area for hay and chaff. The stable was used by both the Cobb & Co coaches and the Gold Escort.
Adjacent to the stable, on the eastern side, stood Mac's Buangor Hotel, the original hotel in the township. It was destroyed by fire in 1901 never to be rebuilt.
For a brief period after the coaches ceased running the building was used as a community hall but it soon fell into disrepair and was abandoned for nearly a century. Ongoing restoration and refurbishment since 1988 has returned the stable to it's position as the central gathering place for the Buangor community. The most recently completed structure adjoining the stable provides modern catering facilities and amenities.
Photos:
Location
6669 Western Highway, Buangor 3375 Map
