Park Lake
Botanic Gardens
Creswick
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Park Lake Botanic Gardens Creswick |
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Originally referred to as a fish pond, the lake was proposed by Councillor W. G. Spence at a council meeting on 10 August 1888. The plan was approved at an estimated cost of £120. When George Perrin, Commissioner for Forests, visited on 5 October 1888, he suggested the addition of a "rockery" in the middle of the lake, with water supplied by means of a pipe so as to make a revolving fountain. A tender of £105 was accepted and work began almost immediately. A brass fountain was procured for the rockery. The creek, shown on early maps as passing close under the Government Camp, was diverted to run the other side of the Castlemaine road. The pond was completed by 22 February 1889. A boat house was built soon afterwards at the eastern end of the lake. At various times the lake was stocked with perch (redfin), trout and carp, but records show that on at least one occasion cormorants soon disposed of these. Weeds in the lake became an issue by 1894. An island was constructed in the lake in the winter of 1895. In an interview with senior Creswick resident Bill Keen (Creswick Advertiser, 27 Sept 1984) about his memories of the park, mention is made of an annual swimming carnival and of boats being available for hire at one shilling per hour. One of the more amusing episodes in the history of the gardens concerned a pelican. On 20 January 1893, Councillor Davies offered to present the council with a pelican and a swan for the lake. Complaints were received that the pelican would eat the fish, so negotiations took place with Ballarat Gardens to exchange the pelican for another swan. The curator at Ballarat, promised to supply a pair of swans and some fish, but declined the pelican! On 12 April 1893, Cr. Davies informed council of the death of the pelican at the lake and that a friend had stuffed it free of cost; it was to be made a present to the council. Nothing is known about what happened to the stuffed bird. Early photographs of the island show weeping willows, but the principle plants on it now are a single oak and pampas grass. Over time, the lake silted up, especially at the eastern end, and became overgrown by weeds. The drought of the mid-2000s gave the opportunity to dredge the lake in 2007; a viewing platform (never before in the gardens) was also installed at this time. |
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A
summer house was first erected around 1871, and rebuilt in 1878/9. The
current rotunda, was completed in 1900 by A. Pasco (the Pasco family still
run the local hardware store). The hexagonal roof is supported by a large
central bush pole, with other bush poles supporting the main roof and
veranda along the angles of the hexagon. The final cost was £80.
It appears as if at one time there were timber rails around the outside.
Early pictures show a small finial at the apex of the roof, which was
absent in recent times. An article in the (National) Trust News, August
1988 refers to the Gothic summerhouse as "having survived the ravages
of use as a barbecue and picnic shelter for the tennis courts". Part
of the rotunda was boarded up as a windbreak in later years. A grant was
received from Heritage Victoria and the building has now been restored,
including a replacement finial. |
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Although not on Perrin's plan, a fern gully was planted early on. At a council meeting on 17 May 1889, 12 fern trees were apparently still needed to complete the fernery. In October 1889, plans were made to supply water to Fern Tree Gully. A basin was to be constructed at the top, planned to be 12ft in diameter and 2ft in depth. In the centre was to be a pile of stones to a height of 5ft and 6ft in diameter, with a fountain at the top. A brick pool remains. Waste water was to drain into the lake over a waterfall. In 1897 it was suggested that a structure be built to cover the ferns to provide them with shade. A four-level slatted structure of rustic wood was constructed, with steps at the bottom and a formal garden with rustic arch at the top. The structure was started in November 1899 and completed early in 1900. On the visit of the Minister of Mines in February 1900, the Creswick Advertiser reported "The fernery was the subject for much favorable comment, the design being considered novel and very tasteful". The structure finally rotted and fell down. Recent renovations of the fern gully area have uncovered a fountain part of the way down and lines of stones outlining a figure-of-eight path. The steps on old photographs lead straight down to the lake, whereas the recent renovation has them leading off to the west. The fernery area is being replanted with Australian temperate rain-forest plants to create a similar effect to the original. However, reconstruction of the slatted building over it is not feasible for financial reasons. |
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The original house
on Camp Hill, the first permanent dwelling in the town, was built in 1852
as the residence for the local chief of police. When the land was transferred
to a botanic gardens, the encumbent C. C. Dowling refused to move out.
Eventually a claim of £313 (after the deduction of rent) was settled
for "improvements" made to the house by him, a considerable
sum. The house was later used as a residence for the surfaceman (road
maintenance) for the council, who later took on responsibility for the
gardens. For the short period when the gardens had a full-time caretaker,
he lived here. The house fell into disrepair and was demolished in the
1920's, when the current building was moved to the site. |
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Although the original
Perrin design was for a tree-dominated landscape, herbaceous ornamentals
and shrubs were added. At some time, perhaps once the gardens had a full-time
caretaker, formal garden beds were laid out and planted in an area above
the escarpment. A photograph from the 1920's shows leaves of a magnolia
that may be the tree
still existing at the top of the fernery, hence indicating
that the garden beds ran both east and west from the top of the fernery.
The entrance to this area was through a rustic timber
arch, roughly at the south-eastern corner of the current toilet
block. No evidence of these beds is now to be found. |
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