Banyoles monster Banyoles monster The Banyoles monster is a legendary monster, possibly a dragon, from the Lake of Banyoles in Catalonia, Spain. According to the legend, the Banyoles monster lives in the Banyoles Lake in Girona of northern eastern Spain hundreds years of ago. In the eighth century, a French monk named St. Emeterio coaxed the beast from the lake using prayers and transformed the creature into a peaceful herbivore. It is said the Banyoles Monster still lives in the depth of the lake today. The monster is the subject of a 2008 children's song "El Monstre De Banyoles" by Toni Jiménez.
Lake Wendouree dammed following the Victorian gold rush in 1851 and since the 1860s it has been a popular recreational lake for Ballarat's citizens. Lake Wendouree now holds significant historical, environmental and recreational values to the Ballarat community. The lake hosted the rowing and canoeing events during the 1956 Olympic Games. During its history, the shallow lake has dried up during drought conditions, the most recent an extended period between 2006 and 2011. In ancient times Lake Wendouree was originally a stream which flowed to the west but a lava flow caused it to be dammed on three sides and it now