Here in Melbourne, did you know Royal Park is the largest of the inner-city parks? It spans 181 hectares. That is about 450 acres. Royal Park is only four kilometers north of the Melbourne CBD. It is located in the suburb of Parkville.
Royal Park is a vital part of Melbourne’s history. Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe envisioned Melbourne surrounded by extensive parklands. He thought it important to the health of the city’s people. La Trobe identified the boundaries of the future park in 1854. That was on the day of his departure from the colony.
Royal Park has many sporting facilities. You can find the North Park Tennis Club here. There is also the Royal Park Golf Course. Football and soccer ovals are available. You can also find baseball and cricket pitches here. The State Netball & Hockey Centre calls Royal Park home too. Cycling and walking paths wind through Royal Park. On the corner of Gatehouse Street and Royal Parade sits a native garden. Wide vistas of grassland and lightly timbered areas surround you. Look for eucalypts, casuarina, and acacias.
Melbourne City Council administers Royal Park. In 1984, they started a park management plan. A wetlands area was developed in 2005.
The grassy hill near the Royal Children’s Hospital is ideal for kite flying. Over the summer months, the Astronomical Society of Victoria sets up telescopes here. They conduct evening talks and tours of the night sky.
Royal Park is home to many native animals. Possums live here, and a rich variety of birdlife. Look for the Pacific black duck. You might see a chestnut teal or white-faced heron. Brown goshawks and collared sparrowhawks also live here. You may spot a Horsfield’s bronze cuckoo or an Australian hobby. Galahs and red-rumped parrots are common. Keep an eye out for eastern rosellas and superb fairy-wrens. White-plumed honeyeaters and spotted pardalotes flit about. White-browed scrubwrens, grey fantails and red-browed finches are often seen. White’s skink also lives here. A section of habitat is maintained specifically for this species.
In the early years of European settlement, Wurundjeri campfires were sometimes seen here. However, the Yarra people preferred camping beside the Yarra River or Merri Creek.
Royal Park has been reduced in size since its inception. In 1852, parts of it were sold. They became part of Carlton and North Melbourne. That same year, some of the land became the Melbourne General Cemetery. In 1853, part of the reserve became the home of the University of Melbourne. The Victorian gold rush led to the creation of Parkville. Housing estates commenced sales in 1861.
In 1860, the Burke and Wills expedition set out from Royal Park. They aimed to cross Australia from south to north. They perished on the return journey. A cairn now marks the departure point in Royal Park.
Royal Park was used for military encampments during World War One and Two. After the war, the buildings of Camp Pell were used for emergency housing until 1960. As of 2005, the one existing building from Camp Pell is used as an “Urban Camp”. It provides accommodation for rural school children visiting Melbourne.
The Royal Park Master Plan Design Competition in 1984 aimed to preserve the park’s spacious quality. It proposed extensive planting of indigenous trees. It also suggested a network of walking and cycle paths.
Royal Park has provided open space for public gatherings and civic functions. It has been a venue for various sporting competitions since the late 1850s. These include cricket, football, and golf. It is particularly associated with women’s sport.
Royal Park. A place of beauty. A place of history. A place for everyone.