Queens Park is a significant park in

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Moonee Ponds recorded a population of 16,224 at the 2 ...

, a northern suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia.

Location

Located in

bound by the following roads;

Mount Alexander Road Mount Alexander Road (and its northern section as Bulla Road) is a major road in Melbourne's inner northern suburbs, connecting the northern edges of the city district to just south of Essendon Airport. It was named after its original destina ...

, The Strand, Pascoe Vale Road, Kellaway Avenue

History

Following the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851, travellers heading for the goldfields met here because fresh water was available in the lagoon. On 20 August 1860, the

Burke and Wills expedition The Burke and Wills expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria in Australia in 1860–61. It consisted of 19 men led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with the objective of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the s ...

camped here on their fateful journey to cross

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In 1865, Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller (Director of the

Melbourne Botanic Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanic gardens across two sites–Melbourne and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. It extends across ...

) sent 250 specimens to Essendon Borough council, many of which were planted at Queens Park.

Description

A picturesque cottage is the focal point of the park with its idyllic surrounds and public art pieces. A sealed path surrounds the lake where seats, and picnic tables are provided beneath old established native and exotic trees, with the lake a haven for a variety of birds. A tropical garden, sunken garden and native gardens are some of the many attractions of the park. Concerts and other entertainments are common on weekends.

Botanic Collection

The park boasts an extensive botanic collection, including established Moreton Bay Figs,

Bunya Pines Bush tucker, also called bush food, is any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by Indigenous Australians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but it can also describe any native flora or fauna used for culinary or ...

and Hoop Pines. It also features a Cycad collection, several native/indigenous gardens, seasonal annual displays, and an asian-styled garden.

Facilities within the park

* Moonee Ponds Bowling Club * Queens Park Pool * Queens Park Curator's Cottage Cafe Curators Collective
/ref> Image:Fountain in Queens Park in Moonee Ponds, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.jpg, The fountain in Queens park

References

External links

Moonee Valley City Council

Queens Park information

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