Friday 10 February 2012

FLAGSTAFF GARDENS, MELBOURNE

Flagstaff Gardens is the oldest park in Melbourne, Australia, first established in 1862. The gardens are notable for their historical, horticultural and social significance to the history of the city. The gardens are 7.2 hectares (18 acres) of Crown Land bounded by William, La Trobe, King and Dudley streets, managed by the City of Melbourne. 


The Gardens take their name from a flagstaff erected in 1840 at the settlement's highest point, in order to communicate between the harbour and town. This became known as "Flagstaff Hill". Before this, the area was used as a cemetery and was known as Burial Hill. (There is a memorial in the gardens that marks the graves of the first European settlers.) The hill was at such a high point that people going to Flagstaff Hill enjoyed panoramic views of the bay. However, as city buildings rose up around the gardens, the views were blocked out. Today, standing in the gardens, it is hard to imagine that this was such a high point and that it was once possible to see the bay.


The park contains extensive lawns with a variety of mature trees, flowerbeds and wild animals including possums. The southern end is characterised by deciduous trees, while the northern end contains mature eucalypts. Avenues of elms shade pathways along with several large Moreton Bay Fig trees.


The north corner contains a bowling lawn, rose beds, flower and shrub beds. Along William Street there are tennis courts, which also double as volleyball, handball and netball courts. Electric barbecues nearby provide a popular site for office parties in December. Scattered about the lawns and gardens are memorials and sculptures that illuminate some of the social significance of the area. Flagstaff Gardens have been classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and is listed by the Australian Heritage Commission and the Victorian Heritage Register.


This post is part of the Friday Skywatch meme.









16 comments:

  1. Great tour of the park, and the moon shots are superbe!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  2. Such a lovely park, Nick, and marvelous captures as always! All of that and gorgeous skies, too! Love the moon! Happy SWF! Hope you have a terrific weekend!

    Sylvia

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  3. You are fortunate to have a lot of park areas near the CBD Nick .... and this one looks like a great place to take a walk with a camera

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  4. Do they still raise a flag there on national occasions?

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  5. Lovely shots with beautiful colours!
    I wish you a Happy Friday!

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  6. Beautiful shots!
    Love the composition in your 1st and 2nd.
    Have a great weekend.
    Mette

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  7. What a beautiful park. I love that tree on the left side of the first photo.

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  8. Love the second shot the most.

    My skywatch, have a nice weekend.

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  9. Lovely place and skies!
    Happy swf weekend.

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  10. Wonderful moon shots!

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  11. Flagstaff Gardens provide an amazing sense of quiet in the the heart of the city! Lovely sense of moodiness in these photos! And love the birds just visible "flying past" the moon!

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  12. It is a beautiful park, always a treat to see green space in a city. Lovely series of photos and the moon shots are awesome. Happy skywatching!

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  13. I love the left big tree of the first one.

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  14. A really nice looking park. I'd love to spend a couple of hours there under the sun. Maybe with a book and a picnic. :)

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  15. It looks wonderful in your pics!

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  16. Beautiful pictures. The moon is amazing. Thank you for sharing with us. Have a nice week-end. Greetings from Romania.

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