Melbourne Australia
Parks and Gardens
The picturesque backgrounds of inner Melbourne parklands are perfect for wedding photography, sporting activities and picnics. Towering trees, sprawling lawns, along with the many lakes and rivers, form a framework within which both native and cultivated vegetation flourish, while providing a home to many birds and an impressive variety of wildlife. The facilities offered at each of the parklands are extensive but varied. Ranging from rowing at Albert Park, horticulture lessons at the Royal Botanical Gardens to a civilised stroll in the sylvan avenues of the Carlton Gardens. Flagstaff Gardens allow us to stand at the highest point of City settlement, while the Treasury Gardens include a Japanese garden and Fitzroy Gardens, the Fairy Tree.The King's Domain and surrounding parks support many memorials from our short history as well as the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Everyone can enjoy a day at The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens (today, more than ever, people can fully appreciate the true nature of the zoo's full name, delighting in the extensive plantings for both habitat and food) while Royal Park provides many walking and cycling tracks for the fitness conscious. Nowadays the lungs of St. Kilda Road, Fawkner Park will remain historically significant as World War Two saw it taken over by the army and occupied by 700 women!
Melbourne, however, was not always known as a beautiful, green City. In the beginning, many of the parklands we appreciate today were the subject of complaints centreing on their ugliness and odour. Many were swamplands used as dumps for rubbish, manure and nightsoil, until they were filled. Grass was grown and they gradually developed into the stunning features we see today. Parks Victoria manage one sixth of Victoria's land mass, employing around 800 people. Melbourne parklands provide areas where Melburnians can pursue their love of the Great Outdoors. Melbourne parks provide the luxury of feeling far from the chaos of the City, while only being a short stroll away. Increasing numbers of people moving to the C.B.D. means they serve as a backyard for those experiencing the convenience of City dwelling, while drawing a corporate clientele for a lunchtime escape.
Named for the explorer John Batman. Melbourne narrowly escaped being named after him - Batmania was once considered as a possible name for the village on the Yarra. The park lies beside the river near the convention centre of Melbourne.
Melbourne's first new major parkland in more than 100 years has been named Birrarung Marr. Birrarung means "river of mists" in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people who originally inhabited the area, while "Marr" equates with the side of the river.
The Domain was originally reserved from sale by the Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, Charles La Trobe, as a site for a future Government House. Today the Domain parklands is a patchwork of different park areas and reserves totalling approximately 67 Hectares.
The Carlton Gardens and Exhibition Reserve comprise of a rectangular area of approximately 26 hectares. The site adjoins the northeastern corner of Melbourne's central business district, abutting Victoria Street, Rathdowne Street, Carlton Street, and Nicholson Street.
Fitzroy Gardens was named after Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy (1796-1858), Governor of New South Wales (1846-1851) and Governor-General of the Australian Colonies (1851-1855). The Gardens have a long history of over 150 years.
Melbourne City Council was appointed Committee of Management for the Flagstaff Gardens on 9 October 1917. The 7.2 hectares of the Flagstaff Gardens is Crown Land vested jointly in the City of Melbourne and the Minister for Environmental Conservation.
Renamed Melbourne Park in 1996, it is a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne. The Yarra Park section of the Sports and Entertainment Precinct is run separately. Take the tram from Cnr of Batman Avenue and Flinders Street.
Located in Spring St, Melbourne near the Parliament buildings, it was named for Adam Lindsay Gordon. Also in the reserve is a plaque commemorating the completion of cable-laying between Melbourne and Sydney by the Postmaster-General Department (PMG).
This small triangular park is a pleasant respite at the Spring Street end of Town, with views of Parliament House, St. Patrick's Cathedral, St Peter's Eastern Hill, the Old Synagogue, the Old Baptist Church and the Eastern Hill Fire Station.
Features trees and flowerbeds set in manicured lawns, roses and flowering shrubs, ornamental ponds, monuments to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, the Janet Lady Clarke rotunda, the Floral Clock; and various sculptures. The Gardens are a part of Domain Parklands.
The Royal Botanic Gardens have become world-famous for their spectacular vistas across sweeping lawns and lakes. Every visitor will enjoy a walk around the Ornamental Lake with its teeming native bird-life, however there is much more to see at Melbourne's most popular garden.
The Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne's most recognisable landmark, is open from 10am to 5pm daily, except on Good Friday and Christmas Day. The Shrine can be reached from the City and Flinders Street Railway Station via St Kilda Road.
