Bowen Park

About

Bowen Park is a heritage-listed park of 17,740 square metres (191,000 sq ft) at O'Connell Terrace (corner of Bowen Bridge Road), Bowen Hills, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1863 to 1950s. It was also known as the Acclimatisation Society Gardens. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 26 February 1999.

Bowen Park is a 1.774 hectares (4.38 acres) remnant of a parcel of land of almost 40 acres (16 ha) bordered by O'Connell Terrace, Bowen Bridge Road, Gregory Terrace and Brooke Street. The park is important for its survival and continued use since 1863 as a park for public pleasure in inner-city Brisbane, an area under pressure to accommodate increased urban development and consolidation. The Queensland Government granted land to the Queensland Acclimatisation Society (QAS) in two parcels in 1863 and 1866, this site was then well out of town on the edge of development and had been worked as a brickfield. Part of this land lay along the watercourse of York's Hollow and the remainder was remnant bushland and brickworks. The site was not ideal for establishing a garden, the soil being of poor quality and rocky in parts, and required substantial reclamation work to form the gardens.

The society named the Gardens after George Bowen, the Governor of Queensland and their patron. Over the years parts of the land were progressively leased, sold and resumed for other purposes, resulting in only 17,740 square metres (191,000 sq ft) remaining by 1955 in the north-western corner of the original site (on the corner of O'Connell Terrace and Bowen Bridge Road).

The Bowen Park of 1862 consisted of a series of clay holes and rough bush with a wretched bush track leading from the city across the Fortitude Valley. The area became an attractive and popular recreational venue from 1863 when the QAS established its gardens which extended from the creek to Bowen Bridge Road. The gardens were named Bowen Park, Acclimatisation Society Gardens in honour of the first Governor of Queensland and initial patron of the QAS, Sir George Ferguson Bowen, who was active in the establishment of the QAS.

The QAS was formed in 1862 and was most active during its first thirty years introducing, testing, propagating and distributing new plant materials. From its gardens in Bowen Park, it played an important role in commercial agriculture in Queensland and introduced or trialed many crops including mango trees, ginger plants, sugar cane, olive trees and choko vines. There was also some experimental work with specialty crops including cocaine. The Society played an important role in the development of civic and domestic landscapes in Queensland through its concern with ornamental and garden trees and shrubs. From Bowen Park, the Society provided plants to towns, churches and cemeteries. The society also organised educational meetings on botanical subjects. Whereas the Acclimatisation Societies in New South Wales and Victoria placed a considerable emphasis on animals, the QAS focussed on plants though at various times deer, llamas, rabbits, Chinese sheep, Angora goats, pheasants, partridges and a variety of songbirds were on show at Bowen Park.

It is not clear how the QAS used all parts of their land holding but it appears that the main display gardens visited by the public were on the northern and lower parts of their land. The northern portion is within the surviving remnant. The QAS used the site to grow and propagate plants and seeds obtained from other parts of the colony and around the world. They built an office and boardroom, bush-house and glasshouse and established an orchard and formed gardens with ornamental plants. Their plantings were extensive and by 1871 the gardens were recognised as a place of public instruction and recreation. William Soutter was overseer at Bowen Park from 1885 it 1898. Known for his scientific experimentation, horticultural skill and design sense, he was instrumental in Bowen Park achieving a reputation as both an experimental and a recreational/display garden.

The other major botanical garden in Brisbane was the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens (BCBG) established in 1855. Both gardens shared common botanical interests but differed considerably in arrangement and visual character. Both were places for public use and enjoyment. The QAS Gardens were considered to eclipse the BCBG and English nurseryman, James Veitch, in 1880 claimed that the QAS Gardens contained the best collection of tropical trees outside the tropics. An early catalogue indicates an equal diversity of plants in the two gardens. At BCBG the design incorporated simple straight pathways, uninterrupted lines of single species of plants and elements of a gardenesque design approach which featured individual plants. In contrast, the character of the QAS Gardens was that of a picturesque and exuberant tropical garden. The many decorative features in the QAS Gardens vied with the special plantings for attention.

These decorative elements included a four-metre high coral-stone grotto-like ornamental fountain encrusted with shells, ferns and lichen, four pieces of neo-classical statuary (the four seasons), a gift from Joseph Oppenheimer urns and various planting pots, several giant clam shells; all complemented by complex carpet bedding displays on and around a quatrefoil-shaped island within a lagoon with a bamboo grove backdrop. The dense, exuberant Victorian planting was massed in shrubberies and borders interspersed with winding paths creating a wild woodland cum exotic jungle ambience.

In August 1872, an 84-foot (26 m) long black whale was found stranded on Woody Island in Hervey Bay. It was the largest whale ever seen in the area. Although the original plan was to tow the whale carcass to Maryborough to extract the whale oil, it was decided that extract the oil from the whale at Woody Island and the ship Effie set forth from Maryborough with men and barrels for the job. The boiling-down of the whale yielded 1,500 imperial gallons (6,800 L; 1,800 US gal) of oil. The Queensland Government requested that the skeleton be preserved to be kept as a scientific specimen. Some of the whale bones were donated to the acclimatization society in January 1887. The jawbones were used to create a archway for the entrance to Bowen Park; it was 22 feet (6.7 m) high.

The Queensland National Agricultural and Industrial Association was formed in 1875 and 17 acres (6.9 ha) of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society's land was leased to the National Association as a venue for exhibitions. In 1876 this exhibition area was fenced off, the first exhibition building erected and the first Intercolonial Exhibition was staged. In 1881, 12 acres (4.9 ha) were resumed from the Society's holding to construct the railway line from Brisbane to Sandgate. From 1879 23 acres (9.3 ha) of land from the QAS holding was leased to the National Association for fifty years for use as an exhibition ground.

As the National Association continued with its annual exhibition (now known informally as the Ekka ), the QAS diminished. The former continued to acquire land until the QAS held only 4 acres (1.6 ha). During its most vigorous period many prominent Queensland pastoralists, professional and business people were members of the QAS. As commercial plant nurseries grew and as a range of other public enterprises in horticulture and agriculture were established support for the QAS declined. The 1890s depression affected the maintenance of the QAS Gardens and many plants were sold or transferred to the BCBG.

Relations between the National Association and the QAS were not harmonious and their dealings were hampered by distrust and jealousy. The National Association had become the more important organisation with a considerable annual turnover and reluctantly remained a tenant of the QAS. These difficulties were resolved by the passage of the National Association and Acclimatisation Society Act 1890 under which the Queensland Government resumed the land occupied by the National Association from the QAS and granted it to the A•association. By 1906, the QAS was relocating its operations to Lawnton on the North Pine River and the Brisbane Municipal Council held the former Acclimatisation Gardens as a reserve for a public park under the Acclimatisation Act 1907.

By 1914 the QAS had removed its diminished operations to depots at Lawnton and Wellington Point. The Brisbane Municipal Council purchased the society's remaining holding in Bowen Park and officially opened the gardens as a public recreational reserve on 11 June 1914. The council regarded Bowen Park as both a public park for pleasure and recreation and as a nursery for their parks and reserves. Under the supervision of the council's first Parks Superintendent, Henry Moore, substantial works and improvements were undertaken, including the erection of a bandstand rotunda, introduction of a water service, repair of the glass house and bush house, filling in of the lagoon and construction of new entrance gates. Landscaping work was undertaken including the establishment of eighteen flower beds, five of which formed a rondel around a palm tree on the southern sloping. A number of rose beds were planted out and four statues that had been part of the Acclimatisation Society gardens' fountain were relocated in open lawns. A cottage was erected on O'Connell Terrace for the council's chauffeur and in 1915 the public toilets on the Bowen Bridge Road boundary were constructed. The path configuration was consolidated during this period of work with secondary paths to the Bowen Bridge Road edge added later under Oakman.

From 1930 to 1950 further parcels of land were sold to the now Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association (RNA) and in 1940 the widening of Bowen Bridge Road reclaimed a further 13.3 perches (340 m 2 ). There was considerable opposition to attempts by the RNA to claim more land from Bowen Park during the 1950s but 8.9 perches (230 m 2 ) was reclaimed for the wood chopping stadium in 1955.

Between 1950 and 1959 Harry Oakman, Parks Superintendent for Brisbane City Council, oversaw changes to the park,

During 1950 to 1959, Harry Oakman, Parks Superintendent for Brisbane City Council, prepared a plan for additional works in Bowen Park, including the addition of paths and drinking fountains, and the redesign of garden beds. His intention was to present colourful patterned displays on the lawns to passing traffic and tram passengers and to patients and staff in the Royal Brisbane Hospital (across Bowen Bridge Road). He retained most of the major trees planted during 1914–1917 and those remaining from the QAS period including fig trees ( Ficus benjamina ) in the centre, bunya ( Araucaria bidwilli ), hoop ( Araucaria cunninghamii ) and Cook ( Araucaria columnaris ) pines, phoenix palm (Phoenix sp), an English oak ( Quercus robus ), a rubber tree ( Ficus elastica ), frangipanis ( Plumeria obtusa ) and poincianas ( Delonix regia ). He replaced the circular flower beds on the southern sloping lawn with decorative shaped colourful beds. On the cleared northern terrace he planted a large circular arrangement of flower beds surrounded by a hedge. He added paths and modified the Bowen Bridge Road edge to include extensive flower beds. A drinking fountain was included at the south entrance off Bowen Bridge Road. His plant vocabulary included acalyphas, crotons, plumbago, belerperone and ginger - plants used in many of his Brisbane park designs.

Since 1960 the Brisbane City Council park management has maintained the park structure and layout of paths and retained the trees. Many display beds for annuals have been removed. The large round bedding display in the north section has been removed and perennials planted in the central beds. The edge of the Park to Bowen Bridge Road has been altered with road widenings and the addition of a tram shelter (c. 1920s) and bus shelters (c. 1990s). The lower stone walls, Acalypha hedging and some flower displays remain.

Located on a major arterial road linking Brisbane City with the northern suburbs and the Bruce Highway, Bowen Park occupies a prominent position on the northern edge of Brisbane's commercial centre. The Park is bounded by Bowen Bridge Road, O'Connell Terrace and the Royal National Association (RNA) showgrounds with pedestrian access from Bowen Bridge Road between the Park and the RNA Bowen Bridge Road entry gate.

A peaceful retreat in stark contrast to its surrounds and neighbours, it has undergone three distinct phases of development with evidence of each phase surviving. The park retains trees considered to be part of the QAS major plantings from the 1860s to the 1890s, evidence of the extensive design work and extensive planting undertaken in 1914 to 1917 by Henry Moore for the Brisbane Municipal Council and work undertaken during the third phase of development by Harry Oakman for the Brisbane City Council from 1950 to 1959.

The Bowen Bridge Road edge has survived over the history of the landholding and formed the boundary of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society's Gardens from 1863. The principal Park entries lie along this edge: to the south, marked by a mature hoop pine ( Araucaria cunninghamii ), a concrete and Brisbane tuff stairway descends through beds edged with tuff; the arched entry; the entry at the circular annuals bed; and to the north, the tree canopy path between tuff garden walls. This edge of Bowen Park also contains simple, medium height planting of hedges and borders, beds of annuals, strips of lawn, the secondary paths installed by Oakman and the toilet block. The adjacent footpath has a clutter of tram/bus shelters. The openness of this edge affords passersby a view across the park.