Heritage Monitoring at Wattle Park

A VISIT TO WATTLE PARK



As part of monitoring of commercial heritage propreties managed by Parks Victoria, a condition report is conducted at the beginning and end of every lease period. Once a property is up for Expression of Interest for a lesee, a survey of the condition based on the results of the previous condition survey is conducted.


The Commercial Services Branch informs the Heritage Branch of the end of the lease period and Chris, Heritage Planner,  visits the site and conducts the survey. Lucky for me I got to accompany him to do this at one of the heritage resources at Wattle Park,  which has a very interesting history.

 


Wattle Park was established as a public recreation facility in 1916 by the Hawthorn Tramways Trust as part of the introduction of the Tram system in Melbourne. It was land established as a park for the purpose of a destination. People were encouraged to ride the Tram to this destination and it was and still is the last stop on the line. It was modelled after the American Trolley Parks.


It contains 12,000 Wattle Trees and other native and exotic trees that were planted by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and the Wattle League.


What's a Wattle???
The Golden Wattle, was officially declared Australia's National Floral Emblem in 1988. A formal proclamation of the Wattle as the floral emblem of Austrlalia was first proposed in 1913 but had never been finalised.




These cable lines are from the original tram lines! A good recycling use and way to present history in the park.

Wattle Park is a beautiful park where I saw many birds and continously took deep breaths to savour the smell of the lemon gum trees. It offers many trails and many species of birds, frogs, butterfly, bats, skinks, ringtail and brushtail possums. There are also sports fields, and a golf course at the park.

Wattle Park was intended to be a 'great attraction to residents of the metropolis for outings and picnics' and to provide a magnificent opportunity for 'going to the country at cheap rates to breathe Heaven's fresh oxygen' where everyone could enjoy the great outdoors free from the 'rowdy customer' who frequented amusement parks.


Today it is no longer a park in the countryside as it sits within a city that has grown to 4million people. It is a park that everyone who grew up in Melbourne remembers. A colleague was telling me how in school all the classes would go to Wattle Park for physically fitness events, and he claimed there is an age group of Melbournians who would have all visited the park at least once as part of school.

We were there to mainly focus on the built heritage in the park so I didn't have lots of time to walk a trail, but I did get to see many birds in my short walk through the park.





An old tram car, kept at the park and maintained. It is open to visitor and picnic tables have been installed inside. You can have a nice lunch on this old tram or pretend you are the driver!




A commemorative Lone Pine in the Park.



These beautiful Lorakeets were everywhere in the Park!!! So lovely and quite the characters.



Chris inspecting this beautiful multi-pane leaded glass window.




Doors leading into the Chalet, beautiful wood and brickwork.




The Chalet was constructed in the Park in 1928 to provide meals and entertainment for the increasing number of visitors. It is situated on the highest point in the Park and designed by Monsbourgh in the English domestic style after Lutyens. It has a steeply pitched slate tiled roof and fits in beautifully to its picturesque setting.




Today the Chalet is leased out to a business that caters to weddings and events. The lesees are responsible for maintaining the heritage features of the Chalet and have done a great job. Mostly everything is authentic and the beautiful wood has stood up to the test of time and numerous dancing shoes! The dancefloor in the picture below is wood and has only had to have some minor replacements in all its years. I loved looking at all the scuff marks and just pictured people dancing away on its hard surface.


The interior of the Chalet




Another beautiful wood door.





View of rear gardens from the inside of the Chalet...I just loved these iron barred doors!!




 These Lorakeets became one of my favorite things in the park. I couldn't stop looking at them.



And the monitoring continues!!



The beautiful gardens at rear of the Chalet.





Rear of Chalet. This has a lovely garden and walkway trellis. You can see why it is popular for weddings!



This bandstand was modified recently and in fact I learned that my colleague Chris designed the shelter! You could just imagine in its day, The Tramways band with their stripes and straw hats and gleaming brass instrument. Still today there are concerts in the park on summer Sundays. It would be a great spot to listen to music amongst the lemon gum trees which I absolutely could not get enough of the smell. I still have a leaf in my purse that I picked so the smell could last longer!

I learned that this was a Crab apple tree!!! Not like the ones I'm used to seeing around home, this version is called a 'Ballerina' tree which is a dwarf crab apple tree developed from dwarfed roots to grow shorter, more compact trees for smaller gardens. I wanted to try one but they weren't ripe!

So pretty!!

I really wish I had time to walk this trail! Looks like you would come across lots of wonderful natural and cultural resources. I have put it on the list of things to do before leaving Melbourne.






An old tram that is still put to use and now has picnic tables for visitors to enjoy a picnic lunch.




Having a go at being a Tram driver!





As you may have guessed I have a thing for doorways. Love them! And this one was fabulous with multipaned leaded windows, an arch and thick harwood doors.


For more info on Wattle Park check out Parks Victoria Wattle Park page