The Queen Victoria Gardens are Melbourne's memorial to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Located on 4.8 hectares (12 acres) opposite the

Victorian Arts Centre Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central M ...

and

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

, bounded by

St Kilda Road St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the Melbourne central business district, locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004, and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city. St Kilda ...

, Alexandra Avenue and Linlithgow Avenue. Queen Victoria's reign started in 1837, two years after the initial European settlement of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, and upon her death in 1901 it was thought appropriate to declare an enduring monument to her reign. A memorial statue was commissioned from sculptor James White showing the Queen in ceremonial gowns casting her regal gaze across ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns and rose gardens to the Melbourne Arts Centre Spire and the city skyscrapers. Queen Victoria Gardens are part of a larger group of parklands directly south-east of the city, between St Kilda Road and the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower st ...

known as the Domain Parklands, which includes; * Royal Botanic Gardens *

Kings Domain Kings Domain is an area of parklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It surrounds Government House Reserve, the home of the governors of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and the Shrine Reserve incorporating the Shrine of Remembrance ...

* Alexandra Gardens *''Queen Victoria Gardens''

Features

A huge floral clock is positioned opposite the

, containing over 7,000 flowering plants which are changed twice yearly. The clock was donated in 1966 to the City of Melbourne by a group of Swiss watchmakers. Behind the clock stands a bronze equestrian statue, a memorial to Queen Victoria's successor,

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

. The statue, by Melbourne born sculptor

Bertram Mackennal Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 1863 – 10 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work ...

, was unveiled on 21 July 1920.

Queen Victoria Memorial

A granite and marble memorial, commissioned by public subscription from sculptor James White and positioned at the highest point of the gardens, commemorates five aspects of Queen Victoria. The memorial is of white

Carrara Carrara ( ; ; , ) is a town and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey Carrara marble, marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

, Harcourt

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

and NSW Caloola marble, and was unveiled by Sir John Madden on

Empire Day Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, member states of the Commonwealth ...

, 24 May 1907. Originally home to native grasses, she-oaks, wattles, paperbarks, and river red gums, the area now consists of ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns, flowerbeds of annuals, and mature European and Australian trees and shrubs in a landscaped garden. As well as the monuments to ''Queen Victoria'' and ''King Edward VII'', the gardens are notable for their array of sculptures. These include an exploratory play sculpture for children, ''The Genie'', by Tom Bass in 1973. ''The Pathfinder'' was manufactured in 1974 by John Robinson and details a bronze Olympic Hammer thrower in action. ''The Phoenix'' was sculptured from cast bronze and welded copper sheet by Baroness Yrsa Von Heistner in 1973 to commemorate the 40th International Eucharistic Congress. ''The Bronze Water Children'' is an installation by John Robinson, made in 1973, which shows playing children at the top of a stream. ''The Water Nymph'' is a kneeling bronze figure sculptured in 1925 by Paul Montford, modelled on Eileen Lillian Prescott. A classic rotunda was built in 1913 and named after Janet, Lady Clarke, a philanthropist who worked for the welfare of women in Melbourne.

Gallery

File:Floral Clock at Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne.jpg, The Queen Victoria Gardens' Floral Clock File:Queen Victoria Memorial, Queen Victoria Gardens-Landscape.jpg, Queen Victoria Memorial File:The Janet Lady Clarke Memorial (3).jpg, The Janet Lady Clarke Memorial File:Water Nymph-Side view.jpg, Water Nymph File:Domed Drinking Fountain.jpg, Domed Drinking Fountain File:Phoenix by Baroness Yrsa Von Leistner.jpg, Phoenix File:Genie by Tom Bass.jpg, The Genie File:Victoria Police Memorial, Queen Victoria Gardens view.jpg, Victoria Police Memorial File:Water Children statue in Queen Victoria Gardens (Front).jpg, Water Children File:Pathfinder statue in Queen Victoria Gardens (Vertical).jpg, Pathfinder File:Frog statue in Queen Victoria Gardens.jpg, Frog File:MPavilion 2023-Exterior (Side view).jpg, MPavilion (2023) File:Farnex Hercules, Queen Victoria Gardens.jpg, Farnex Hercules File:Apollo Belvedere, Queen Victoria Gardens.jpg, Apollo Belvedere File:Marquess of Linlithgow Memorial, Kings Domain.jpg, Marquess of Linlithgow Memorial File:Lake Waterfall, Queen Victoria Memorial.jpg, Lake Waterfall File:Ornamental Lake with Queen Victoria Memorial on the Left and Lake Waterfall on the Right.jpg, Ornamental lake with Queen Victoria Memorial on the left and Lake Waterfall on the right

Vandalism

Following the Coronation of King Charles III, the statue was doused with red paint.

References

External links