Kings Park

About

Kings Park is a 400.6-hectare (990-acre) park overlooking Perth Water and the Perth central business district, Western Australia. The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza with two-thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland. Offering panoramic views of the Swan River and Darling Range, it is home to over 324 native plant varieties, 215 known indigenous fungi species and 80 bird species. It is the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia, being visited by over five million people each year. Besides tourist facilities, Kings Park contains the State War Memorial, the Royal King's Park Tennis Club, and the Mount Eliza Reservoir. The streets are tree-lined with individual plaques dedicated by family members to Western Australian service men and women who died in World War I and World War II. The park is also rich in flora (both native and introduced) and during September of each year Kings Park hosts Australia's largest wildflower show and exhibition – the Kings Park Festival. Since 1 July 2016, the park has been within the City of Perth local government district; however, under the City of Perth Act 2016 City local...

Since before European settlement and exploration Mount Eliza has been known as Mooro Katta, Kaarta Gar-up, and Kaarta Koomba (meaning "big hill"), the Aboriginal names given by the Noongar people. The area has been an important ceremonial and cultural place for the Whadjuk Noongar, who had campsites and hunting grounds in the area.

In the 1880s Kings Park was used by the Perth section of the Volunteer Rifle Corps (a civilian militia) for shooting.

At the base of the southern face is a freshwater spring, known as Kennedy Spring ( Goonininup ), which provided year-round water for the Aboriginal inhabitants and the first European visitors to the area, such as Willem de Vlamingh 's party on 11 January 1697. The Lieutenant Governor of the Swan River Colony, James Stirling, chose the townsite of Perth for this reason – the only local spring. He named the area Mount Eliza for Eliza Darling.

The Colony's first Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe, recognised the qualities of the area and tried to protect it, by identifying the land to be set aside for public purposes. By 1835 Roe's protection was overturned and the first shipment of 5.1 tonnes (11,000 lb) of jarrah was cut on Mount Eliza, becoming the colony's first export. Logging in the area continued until 1871 when Roe's successor Malcolm Fraser persuaded the then Governor Weld to set aside 175 hectares (432 acres) as public reserve. This was enlarged in 1890 by 180 hectares (450 acres), and in 1897 the area of the reserve was further increased to 412 hectares (1,017 acres) by John Forrest, the first president of the Board appointed under the Parks and Reserves Act 1895. The area of Kings Park today is 400.6 hectares (990 acres), 11 hectares (27 acres) smaller than in 1897.

Officially opened on 10 August 1895, the park was originally called Perth Park and was renamed in 1901 to King's Park – the apostrophe was later dropped. This was to mark the ascension to the British throne of King Edward VII and the visit to Perth of George, the Duke of Cornwall and Princess Mary. One of the major roads through the park, May Drive, is named in the Princess's honour. Forrest planted the first tree, a Norfolk Island pine ( Araucaria heterophylla ), and other trees were introduced to the site, Eucalyptus ficifolia and exotic species of Pinus ; few of these were successful due to lack of irrigation.

The Mount Eliza reservoir provided water to the local area, and still remains, but by arrangement of the lease was partly diverted for use in the park itself. This was largely allocated, after 1919, to the memorial oaks and planes lining May Drive. Their eventual failure led to their substitution with bangalay, Eucalyptus botryoides, and Eucalyptus calophylla var. rosea.

Attempts to situate an Olympic-size swimming pool on bushland in Kings Park led to the establishment in 1956 of a Citizens' Committee for the Preservation of Kings Park, which successfully campaigned to prevent the proposal from going ahead.

Since 1999, Kings Park has been administered by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, who also administer Bold Park, and does not come under any local government authority. The park's administration building contains all the administrative offices where visitors may book guided walking tours, get information, or reserve one of the facilities.

Kings Park was featured in 2006 on the American reality TV show The Amazing Race 9 as well as in 2011 on the Australian franchise The Amazing Race Australia 1, where teams collected a clue from in front of the War Memorial.

In early 2009, the south western area of the park was severely damaged by a fire, which has been suspected to have been deliberately lit. [ citation needed ]

The Elizabeth Quay redevelopment plans include a cable car to Kings Park, although construction is not in scope for the initial phase. [ needs update ]

See also: List of public art in Western Australia § Kings Park

The State War Memorial Precinct is located on Mount Eliza overlooking Perth Water. It comprises the Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and Pool of Reflection. The Anzac Day dawn service is held at 5:30 am on 25 April each year and is attended by more than 40,000 people. There is also an official service held at 11 am on 11 November for Remembrance Day.

The Cenotaph was unveiled in the year of the centenary of Western Australia, on 24 November 1929 by the Governor William Campion, and had as the honorary architect General J. Talbot Hobbs. The court of contemplation is at the western side of the precinct and was unveiled on 6 November 1955 by Charles Gairdner. The flame of remembrance and pool of reflection was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 April 2000.

Underneath the Cenotaph is the roll of honour with the names of all servicemen and women who enlisted in Western Australia and died in the Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korean War or Vietnam. In 2012, after some controversy the names of service personnel who died in Iraq and Afghanistan were inscribed on the wall. In addition, below the memorial is one of the entrances to the tunnels that are below Kings Park. These are not accessible to the public.

Distributed throughout the park are more specific memorials to various battles, military units, prisoners of war and other groups.

The road verges through King Park have been planted with eucalyptus trees, and in front of each one is a plaque honouring those service men who died during action or as a result of wounds received; there are over 1600 of these plaques. Proposed by Arthur Lovekin, owner of the Daily News, the idea was based on the Avenue of Honour in Ballarat, Victoria. Originally families were required to pay 10 shillings, equivalent to A$ 39 in 2022, to cover the cost of the plantings; ex-servicemen provided the necessary labour to plant the trees. In 1920, Lovekin and board member William Loton each donated £A 500, in total equivalent to A$78,608 in 2022, to clear and plant Forrest Avenue with sugar gums. After Lovekin died the Kings Park board renamed Forrest Avenue to Lovekin Drive. Kings Park now has three tree-lined avenues set aside to honour service personnel who died in the two World Wars and other engagements: May Drive, Lovekin Drive, and (the most recent addition) Marri Walk.

Fraser Avenue was originally planted with red-flowering gums ( Corymbia ficifolia ) in 1898 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, and added to in 1929 to celebrate the centenary of Western Australia. The gums were affected by patch canker disease in the 1930s. In 1938 lemon scented gum trees ( Corymbia citriodora ) were planted to honour the dignitaries and members of the centenary organising committee.

The Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial, formerly known as the Edith Cowan Memorial Clock, is the clock tower at the main entrance to, but not in, Kings Park. It was built in 1934 as a memorial to Edith Cowan, the first woman elected to any Australian parliament. The committee responsible for the memorial had intended that a memorial be built in the park, but controversially the Kings Park Board at the time declined the request, stating that henceforth only national memorials would be considered for inclusion within the park.