Queens Park is a significant park in

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley Local government ar ...

, a northern suburb 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 ...

, 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 (originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition) was an exploration expedition organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) in Australia in 1860–61. The exploration party initially consisted of ninet ...

camped here on their fateful journey to cross

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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

Melbourne Botanic Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) 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 ...

) 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 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> File:Fountain in Queens Park in Moonee Ponds, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.jpg, The fountain in Queens park File:Queens Lake.jpg, Queens Lake File:Queens Park, Moonee Ponds.jpg, A grassy area beside Pascoe Vale Road

References

External links

Moonee Valley City Council

Queens Park information

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