Park Lake
Botanic Gardens
Creswick
Park Lake Botanic Gardens Creswick |
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History |
Three
brothers, named Creswick, settled along the local creek in 1842. Alluvial
gold was discovered in 1852 and the town of "Creswick" emerged
as a result of this first gold-rush. By 1855 the population had reached
around 30,000. As the gold began to run out, a smaller, more stable community
developed. Many of the new settlers still regarded Europe as "home":
they missed their familiar surroundings of parks and gardens and were
surrounded by strange trees and animals. One of the first ambitions of
the town council was thus to have land set aside for public gardens. A
botanical garden at Creswick was first proposed in 1860, at the same time
that the developing town was still debating where its water supply was
to come from. Such early Australian towns were thus surveyed and planned
with the long-term future in mind, rather than merely emerging around
the tents and slab huts. There was also no doubt a desire to match the
social development of other nearby towns, also establishing gardens around
this time, and the growing city of Melbourne (Ballarat Botanical Gardens
were established in 1858 and the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1846).
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The
formal proposal for a gardens was made at a Municipal Council meeting
on 31 January 1860. In September of that year the support of the Chief
Commissioner of Police was obtained for the transfer of the Government
Camp (or Police Paddock) to the council as a Botanical Reserve. The 37
acres 30 perches for use as a Public Gardens were gazetted on 15 February
1861 and a technical correction was published on 1 March. |
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Early
works, carried out through tenders, included removal of dead timber, erection
of gates, fences and seats; grazing of stock by the Creswick Acclimatisation
Society was also approved. However, funds were severely limited and development
of the gardens was slow: roads and water were a much higher priority.
Unfortunately, the original government house on the land was still occupied
by a Mr C. C. Dowling, the local police magistrate and warden, who insisted
on compensation for alterations and inconvenience. Protracted negotiations,
petitions and enquiries followed over eight years, with the result that
the final grant of the land from the Government to the Municipal Council
as a permanent reserve "for public gardens purposes" was not
made until 7 April 1869. An additional narrow strip of 2 roods 1.5 perches
was added along the Castlemaine road in 1889, while a triangular portion
of 14 perches was excised in 1959 to allow straightening of the road. |
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The
late 1870's saw the discovery of deep leads of gold in the region and
the resulting underground mines brought a second wave of wealth to Creswick.
This enabled solid public buildings to be constructed, as well as the
development of public open spaces such as Park Lake. The first layout
of the gardens appears to have been decided in 1870, under the supervision
of Councillors Moore, Storey and Laby. No plans of this design are known
to exist. Trees and shrubs were obtained from Ferdinand von Mueller and
Ballarat Borough Council in that year, while further planting occurred
in 1871 and 1872. Councillor W. G. Spence (who became a noted trade unionist,
federal politician and Postmaster General)) proposed a fish pond in 1888.
Although the name "Lake Martin" was proposed, in honour of Mr
F. N. Martin, the completed fish pond (at a cost of £105) was named
Park Lake in February 1889. A boat house was built later that year, at
the Lake's eastern end. On 5 October 1888, Mr George Perrin, Conservator
of Forests, visited the reserve and produced a detailed planting plan
(left). Key features were broad avenues of trees, between which there
were more open areas with widely spaced trees. These included both exotic
and native species. There was an "oval" (a games field) surrounded
by rows of trees, and a fountain in the lake. |
Over
the next four years considerable numbers of trees were planted and paths
constructed. It would appear that not all trees on Perrin's plan were
planted: work concentrated around the lake and in the south-eastern end
of the reserve, closest to the town. Many mature exotic conifers and broad-leaved
trees dating from the 1880's and 1890's are found in this area. Araucarias
shown as features in the north-eastern end of the plans were never planted,
while a few mature (non-local) eucalypts are still present in that area.
An island was constructed in the lake in 1895. Buildings noted around
that time include a summer house, ballroom, and a "ladies' room".
The present rotunda was completed in 1900. A large rustic structure (fernery)
was erected over the ferns at the same time. The first cases of vandalism,
targeting park benches, occurred as early as the 1870's!. |
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The
first caretaker of the Botanic Reserve was Charles Ollsen, appointed in
April 1879. Although an offer to take charge of and lay out the gardens
for 35 shillings per week was made by Mr R. Hargreaves in 1873, this does
not appear to have been accepted . Ollsen was succeeded in 1883 by John
Stewart and in 1888 by a Mr. Sutcliffe. At various times the jobs of surfaceman
(road repairer) and gardens caretaker were combined. |
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Gold
began to peter out around the turn of the century. This was followed by
the loss of many of the town's young men in the First World War, leaving
the women without marriage partners, and then the Great Depression. Creswick
managed to survive as a small community, while many other small towns
disappeared altogether. It is hardly surprising that maintenance decreased
and the botanical gardens fell into disrepair. A letter in the Creswick
Advertiser in April 1921 commented on "great disappointment at
the decayed appearance of the gardens" that had occurred over
the past year. The position of caretaker/surfaceman was discontinued in
1922. Effort was put into developing Calembee Park instead. Football moved
to Hammon Park in the mid-1930's. Rocks from around the fountain were
removed over the years (though the remains can still be seen when the
water level is low). Over the years, the land was sought for other purposes.
There was pressure to build a Consolidated School on the "Triangle"
area south-west corner in the 1940's and 50's, but permission was not
given. A request to build a Scout hall on the same area was also turned
down in 1953 on the grounds that the original grant stipulates that the
area should be for public gardens and "no other use whatever".
However, the wording of the grant appears to have been ignored later:
CFA volunteers built a running track/training area in the 1960's, and
this remains today. Tennis courts (now 29 in all, run by the Mount Prospect
Tennis Association) on the former oval area were opened in 1967. Most
of the north-eastern end of the reserve was burned by a major fire in
1977 and this has been re-populated mostly by wattles. In 1989 the Shire
of Creswick requested that the reservation be changed from "public
gardens" to "recreational purposes" to reflect its actual,
changed use. |
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| But what should happen now: should the gardens be restored to their glory years? Should Park Lake Reserve be left as a "ghost-gardens" for the few botanical visitors and local youth to explore? Or should they be developed as a different, low-maintenance garden? The house is used by a community group and could perhaps be excised from the gardens. The tennis courts are highly popular and will continue to be used. But now that the lake has largely filled in, and the barbecues are rather archaic, nearby St. George's Lake is a much more appealing water-focussed venue for picnics. Some efforts have been made over the years to restore parts of the gardens, with little support or success. Early work in the late 1970's merely cleared overgrowth to reveal the main "lost" archaeological features, but these became overgrown again. A modern Dutch immigrant started the current, successful, restoration effort and the Friends of Park Lake group was formed . Their task was formidable and much had already been lost completely. Public enthusiasm and community support has increased and Hepburn Shire Council has added its practical and financial support. The fernery gulley has been replanted and rock work restored. Paths have been cleared and boards and railings installed. The rotunda has been excellently restored (2003/4) with the help of Heritage Victoria, and a few interpretative signs have been erected. New plantings of shrubs have been made (see Features page). Many trees have been felled above the escarpment, as well as on the bank below the house, and young trees have been planted, with advice coming from respected horticultural authorities. The gardens are once more being used as a popular place for walks. The lake was dredged in 2007 to remove silt and to reduce the aquatic weed infestations that had built up. These notes are based mostly on extensive research by Rosemary Tolhurst from the Shire of Creswick Minute Books, Public Records Office, Ballarat. Information was also obtained from Val Lawrence, the Government Gazette and from microfiches of the Creswick & Clunes Advertiser, held at the State Library, Melbourne. |
