Ballarat 1956 Olympic Venue Memorial

The 1956 Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Memorial in Ballarat honors the rowing and canoeing events held on Lake Wendouree during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Erected by the Rotary Club of Ballarat, the monument features the five Olympic rings atop a boomerang, symbolizing the invitation to return. A plaque lists the countries that competed, including Greece, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, Cuba, Norway, Canada, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Denmark, Sweden, France, the United States, Finland, the USSR, Germany, Uruguay, Great Britain, Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, and Australia.