Fawkner Park, Melbourne

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Fawkner Park
The park, with Melbourne city centre in the background
Fawkner Park, Melbourne is located in Melbourne
Fawkner Park, Melbourne
Location of the park in Melbourne
Interactive map of Fawkner Park
TypeUrban park
LocationSouth Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates37°50′28″S 144°58′55″E / 37.841°S 144.982°E / -37.841; 144.982
Area41 ha (100 acres)
Opened1848 (1848)
DesignerNicholas Bickford
EtymologyJohn Pascoe Fawkner
OwnerGovernment of Victoria
(as Crown land)
OperatorCity of Melbourne
StatusOpen
PathsSealed
Terrain
  • Flat
  • riverbank
Vegetation
Public transit
  • List of Melbourne tram routes –
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne – bus routes
  •  –
LandmarksFawkner Park Tennis Centre
Facilities
  • Barbecues
  • cafe
  • community centre
  • drinking fountain
  • picnic facilities
  • playgrounds (x3)
  • seating
  • sports grounds
  • tennis courts
  • toilets
Websitemelbourne.vic.gov.au
Official name
Fawkner Park
TypeRegistered place
CriteriaA, C, & E
Designated1 September 2016
Reference no.H2361
HO6
Categories
  • Military
  • Parks, Gardens and Trees
  • Recreation and Entertainment

Fawkner Park is a 41-hectare (101-acre) urban park and sports ground located in Melbourne's South Yarra and part of the City of Melbourne. It provides recreational areas for teams playing cricket, softball, soccer, Australian rules football, tennis, quadball and rugby.[1]

The park is located on the traditional lands of the Bunurong and is managed by the City of Melbourne. The park was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 1 September 2016 in recognition of its historical, archaeological aesthetic significance.[2]

Description

Sport in the park, January 2019

Named in honour of John Pascoe Fawkner, a co-founder of Melbourne, the park was created in 1862.

It is trapezoidal in shape, gently sloping towards a flat area, and was originally used for over seven different activities at one time, in sections specified for the purpose. It was also commonly used for walks and promenading. The layout, designed by Nicholas Bickford, remains similar to that of the late 1870s, with pathways cutting through the park, edged with elm, oak and Moreton Bay figs.[3]

Summer weekend cricket matches have an English 'village green' atmosphere, with spectators making use of the free on-site barbecues and picnic areas. During World War II, part of the park was used by the Defence Department, and softball facilities were incorporated, encouraged by the presence of American servicemen. After the war, the buildings were converted to a transit camp for migrants which closed in 1955.[3]

Since the 1960s, the park was used extensively for a wide range of team sports as well as more passive recreational use.[3]

See also

References

  1. "METROPOLITAN". The Herald. 6 September 1902. p. 4. Retrieved 13 October 2024 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  2. "Fawkner Park, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H2361, Heritage Overlay HO6". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  3. "Fawkner Park Master Plan 2006" (PDF). City of Melbourne. May 2006. p. 5. Retrieved 31 May 2026.

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