parks and gardens

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1857 Design for Fitzroy Square by E L Bateman

A plan showing the proposed design for the laying out of the Fitzroy Gardens by Edward La Trobe Bateman. The plan was commissioned by the City of Melbourne. The Age of 1 Jun 1858 reported on a Council meeting the previous day in which it was agreed, after some debate, to pay Bate...

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Ban on cyclists in city parks

Clippings from Melbourne News, a quarterly newsletter put out by the City of Melbourne, aboplans to prohibit cyclists from riding in city parks, including Fitzroy and Treasury Gardens.

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Birrarung Marr

Newspaper cutting reporting on Birrarung Marr's original designers' disapproval of the Melbourne City Council's failure to implement their design in totality. The designers of the park were landscape architects Ronald Jones and Helena Piha, and consultants Taylor Cullity and Leth...

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Darling Square. Fallen Poplar

Five colour photos of Darling Square, East Melbourne. Two, taken in the summer of 2002, show a glimpse of the Lombardy poplar growing in the central circular garden bed. The next three show the poplar after if fell in September the following year.

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Drought takes its toll on City's trees

A series of newspaper clippings about the loss of many trees in the city area, particularly the Fitzroy and Treasury gardens, due to drought. Plans to replace them and plans to minimise damage in the future. Comments by Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and Council's chief arborist, Ian Sh...

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East Melbourne, Fitzroy Gardens old kiosk

Photo shows the old kiosk in the Fitzroy Gardens in the 1950s. Originally built in 1908 with an octagonal bandstand at the corner which has been built in. At the entrance is a weighing machine which a customer could use by inserting a penny in the slot provided.

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Fairies' Tree

Newspaper clipping about The Fairies' Tree, Fitzroy Gardens, sculpted by Ola Cohn in the years 1931-1934.

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Fitzroy Gardens Visitor Centre opens at Sinclair's Cottage

Short article about the new visitors' centre to be opened in Sinclair's Cottage

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Fitzroy Gardens, Hotham Walk

This postcard shows the Hotham Walk in the Fitzroy Gardens circa 1908. It is a view entirely recognisable today but with interesting differences. The first is the presence of gaslights. The first five were installed in the gardens in 1865 and were replaced by electricity around t...

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Fountains make a comeback

Short article with photo about the restoration and return of the River God fountain to the Fitzroy Gardens from Capital News July 1995.

The History of the East Melbourne Community Garden by Matt Faubel follows the work of a dedicated team who worked for over six years with the City of Melbourne and other interested parties to find a spot on which they could set up a community garden. The site behind Sinclair's Co...

A submission in support of an application by the East Melbourne Group to have Yarra Park included on the Heritage Register. The historical report includes the park's beginnings, the many events that have taken place there, and physical description. Many illustrations. References.

In 2006 the East Melbourne Historical Society collaborated with the Australian Catholic University to conduct oral histories with 15 East Melbourne residents. Dr John Brick was in charge of the History Methods course and the interviews were to be part of the students' assignments...

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Kick for Demons

Newspaper clipping reporting on plan by the Melbourne Football Club to build a training ground in Yarra Park with associated office building over the adjacent railway line. Residents, led by the East Melbourne Group, strongly opposed the plan.

Memoir of living in Melbourne in the 20th century. The author, Bruce McBrien, grew up in a house in Spring Street, Melbourne, and spent much of his social life in East Melbourne, and went to school at Yarra Park State School. Has extensive and detailed memories of a child's life...

Newspaper cuttings about the government's decision to take responsibility for Yarra Park from the City of Melbourne and give it to the Melbourne Cricket Club, which will clear the way for continued parking in the park. Starts March 2009

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Richmond and East Melbourne Sketchbook

Drawings of some landmark buildings in Richmond and East Melbourne with accompanying text giving historical information

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Treasury Gardens c.1905

A colour postcard of the Treasury Gardens, c.1905. It was printed in Germany. When the Treasury Gardens were first layed out they included an ornamental pond. In 1901 William Guilfoyle, director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, was asked to redesign the pond into a Japanese Garden...

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Vandals attack Cook's Cottage

Newspaper clipping about vandalism to Cook's Cottage in the Fitzroy Gardens. The vandals sprayed the cottage with an anti-Australia day message.

The Conservation Analysis covers the history of Yarra Park and its individual components, including all structures and plantings. Gives botanical descriptions of trees. Photos.

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Yarra Park improvement

Two letters to-the-editor saying how much the condition of Yarra Park has improved over the past year, partly due to the lock-downs caused by the Covid pandemic. Both letter writers call for for a ban on car parking to keep the park looking healthy.

A submission in support of an application by the East Melbourne Group to have Yarra Park included on the Heritage Register. The historical report includes the park's beginnings, the many events that have taken place there, and physical description. Many illustrations. References.