Queens Park, Moonee Ponds

Queens Park
World War II memorial in the park, in 2014
Queens Park, Moonee Ponds is located in Melbourne
Queens Park, Moonee Ponds
Location within Melbourne
Interactive map of Queens Park
TypeUrban park
LocationMoonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates37°45′45″S 144°55′27″E / 37.7625°S 144.9242°E / -37.7625; 144.9242
Established1884 (1884)
DesignerJohn Oliver
OwnerCity of Moonee Valley
Curator's Cottage
General information
TypeWorker's cottage (1898–1990)
Architectural style
Victorian Rustic Gothic
Location776-780 Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates37°45′43″S 144°55′23″E / 37.76194°S 144.92306°E / -37.76194; 144.92306
Year built1891–1898
Technical details
MaterialTimber
Official name
Former Curator's Cottage, Queen's Park
TypeRegistered place
Designated20 April 1995
Reference no.H1078
HO69
Category
Residential buildings (private)

The Queens Park[a] is an urban park in Moonee Ponds, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. The park is bounded by Mount Alexander Road, The Strand, Pascoe Vale Road, and Kellaway Avenue.

Located within the park is the Curator's Cottage , a cottage for the former curator, completed in 1898, that was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 20 April 1995 in recognition of its architectural, historic and aesthetic significance.[1] The cottage was subsequently repurposed as a cafe.[2]

History

The area now known as Queens Park was once the site of a natural watering hole for the Doutta Gala Aboriginal people,[3]: 4  surrounded by red gums.[1] Following the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851, travellers heading for the goldfields met at the watering hole due to the supply of fresh water. On 20 August 1860, the Burke and Wills expedition camped here on the first night of their fateful journey to cross Australia.[3]: 5 

In 1865, Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller, the Director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, sent plant 250 specimens to the Essendon Borough Council, many of which were planted at Queens Park.[3]

The site was reserved for ornamental plantation in 1884, and in the 1890s plans were drawn up for the creation of an urban park by the Essendon Borough Council and John Oliver, the first curator. A fund was established to beautify the lake in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.[1]

Description

The focal point of the park is its 1898 picturesque cottage 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. 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.

In addition to the cottage/cafe, the park includes the Moonee Ponds Bowling Club[4] and the Queens Park Pool.[5]

Curator's Cottage

Plans for the Swiss cottage were approved by the Essendon Council in 1891 and the cottage was completed in 1898.[b] The timber building was designed as a house for the curator and continued to be used as the residence for the superintendent of gardens until 1990.[1]

The cottage has artistic associations with the Picturesque landscape movement of the early nineteenth century Britain, demonstrated by the use of the Victorian Rustic Gothic style in a landscaped setting next to the ornamental lake in Queen's Park. As possibly the only example of a timber Victorian Rustic Gothic curator's cottage and the only known example with a shingled roof and dormers, the building is a relatively rare and extraordinary example of a curator's cottage in a large public garden.[1] Mosaics are located surrounding the cottage.

The building demonstrates outstanding craftsmanship and decoration in the use of shingles to the roof, scalloped shingles to the walls, decorative criss-cross timber valance, timber finials and tied pendants, including smaller finials to the three dormers. It represents the important functions played by the curator in public gardens. The curator was involved not only in the development and management of the gardens, and also their protection and security. The cottage, located in a prominent and central position near the lake and once adjacent to the now demolished conservatory, reflects the roles of the curator.[1]

The cottage demonstrates an association with John Oliver, the first curator at Queen's Park, who was appointed in 1891 and who retired in 1938. Oliver also worked at Ballarat Botanical Gardens and the Chirnside's estate at Werribee and advised on the designs for the gardens at Duntroon Military College and for other municipalities.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Originally known as Victoria Park, then renamed as Queen's Park in 1897; in more recent times, the apostrophe has been dropped from the park's name.
  2. ↑ The Master Plan Report states the cottage was completed in 1892.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Former Curator's Cottage, Queen's Park, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1078, Heritage Overlay HO69". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Home page". Curators Collective.
  3. 1 2 3 ASPECT Studios Pty Ltd (December 2019). Queens Park Master Plan Report (PDF) (Report). City of Moonee Valley.
  4. ↑ Moonee Ponds Bowling Club
  5. ↑ Queens Park Swimming Pool
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