| 1853 | To cater for the dense population settled in the Emerald Hill area following the gold rush, Melbourne City Council requested the government to reserve the area known as 'Home Park' (approximately corresponding to Albert Park), as a public park. The area contained a lagoon and a reedy swamp with abundant bird life. | |
| 1856 | Melbourne City Council moved to enclose the area, then known as 'South Park', including a frontage to St Kilda Road. | |
| 1860 | The road now known as Aughtie Drive was properly constructed, and toll gates installed. | |
| 1861 | South Melbourne Cricket Club formed. (This club produced six test captains) | |
| 1862 | South Park was temporarily reserved by the Government, and re-named Albert Park, in honour of Prince Albert. | |
| 1872 | Yacht races held regularly on the lagoon in the Park. | |
| 1875 | St Kilda Road frontages sold as building allotments, despite public outcry and protest meetings. Auctions were rushed through between sittings of Parliament. | |
| 1876 | By Act of Parliament the Park was finally declared to be Crown land permanently reserved as a public park. | |
| 1877 | Pumping engine and pipes from the Yarra provided fresh water for the lake. |
|
| 1878 | St Kilda Park Primary School School built on land in
the southern corner of the Park. South Melbourne Football Club formed, and one year later allowed to enclose its ground within the Park. | |
| 1880 | Promenade built around the lagoon to transform it into a lake for public recreation. | |
| 1903 | Land in the Park, near Middle Park Station, first used as a sand pit and municipal tip. | |
| 1915 | South Melbourne Technical School built in the north west corner of the Park. | |
| 1917 | Army Depot in Albert Road built. | |
| 1926 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground grandstand built. (This substantial brick building was classified in 1994 by the National Trust as having State significance.) | |
| 1930-1936 | During the Great Depression sustenance work provided in the reconstruction of Lakeside Drive and Aughtie Drive to enable them to take motor traffic. | |
| 1933 | MacRobertson Girls High School built in north corner of Park. | |
| 1934 | As part of the Victorian Centenary celebrations, motor racing proposed for the Park. Because of public opposition, the event was transferred to the Phillip Island circuit. | |
| 1940 | Defence Department warehouses built in north corner of the Park, and other buildings in the south west. | |
| 1947 | Private golf course operating in the north east area of the Park taken over and run as a public course. | |
| 1950 | Reclamation of the municipal tip area near Middle Park Station commenced and playing fields created. The tip was finally closed in 1952. The ground was left in an unstable condition, and trees would not establish in the area. | |
| 1953 | Australian Grand Prix motor race held in Park for the first time. | |
| 1955-1956 | Motor races held in the Park in March as part of the Moomba Festival. | |
| 1956 | Australian Grand Prix held for the second time, in December, during the Olympic Games period. | |
| 1957 | Motor racing held during the Moomba Festival in March. | |
| 1958 | Two motor races held on consecutive Sundays in November. Further motor racing in the Park banned by the Bolte Liberal Government as a result of public protests regarding noise and loss of access caused by fencing. Warehouses in the north corner of the Park vacated by the Defence Department and converted into basketball, table tennis and badminton centres. | |
| 1959 | Hellas Soccer Club formed and eventually allowed to enclose a ground near Canterbury Road, opposite West St Kilda. | |
| 1961 | Attempts to build a bowling alley in the north corner of the Park led to Board of Enquiry. established by Bolte Government. The Board, headed by O.J.Gillard, QC. reported on the 'management, development and improvement' of the Park. The 'Gillard Report' noted that the Park was regarded as the 'home of amateur sport'.. The report recommended that the public should have free and unrestricted access, and that the Park should not be used for large commercial enterprises. |
|
| 1982 | Buildings in the south west of the Park, built during World
War 2, vacated by the Defence Department and returned to parkland. Re-afforestation project, using native trees, carried out by Burnley Agricultural College along part of the Canterbury Road edge of Park. | |
| 1984 | ||
| South Melbourne Football Club moved out of its ground in the Park and re-formed as the 'Sydney Swans'. | ||
| 1988 | Melbourne made a bid for the 1996 Olympics, with many events planned within an updated Albert Park. | |
| 1989 | Melbourne's Olympic bid failed, but the Government undertook to carry out improvements to the Park, including a new State sports centre and swimming complex. | |
| 1991 | The Victorian Department of Conservation and Environment
published 'Albert Park - The Vision', a strategy plan
for the park, derived after community consultation. Under
the plan, the Park was to have 'tree lined avenues', Lakeside
Drive was to be relocated further away from the lake edge to
provide more picnic areas, and the light rail was to be lowered
to improve the view of the Park from the south side. Melbourne Water appointed to administer the Park in place of the Albert Park Committee of Management. | |
| 1992 | Work began on dredging the lake to remove contaminated silt, as a first stage in Park improvements. In the October State elections the Labor Government replaced by a Liberal/National Party Government headed by Mr J.Kennett. | |
| 1993 | In March, secret agreement reached between Mr Kennett and
Mr Bernie Ecclestone of the Formula One Constructors' Association
in London, to move the Australian Grand Prix from Adelaide to
Albert Park, Melbourne. Early in December Melbourne Parks and Waterways, now the administrators of the Park, issued a 'Draft Strategy Plan' for the future management of the park, prepared after a one year study by independent consultants, The Hassell Group. The principal aim of the plan was 'to improve the quality of the Park for people, without altering its fundamental nature, which is so beloved of the people of Melbourne'. This plan proposed replacement of outdated sports buildings, improvement of play areas and further tree planting of both native and exotic trees throughout the Park. New double avenues of trees were proposed for Aughtie Drive. No major re-routing was proposed for the Park roads. Lakeside Oval, with its 'well maintained grass', and the Harry Trott Oval, with its 'charming village green atmosphere' were to be retained. No sports organizations were to be displaced from the park. The 'enormously popular' childrens' adventure playground, near Middle Park Station, built early in 1993 by voluntary labour, was recognized in the plan as a major asset for the Park. On 17 December, Mr Kennett announced publicly that the Australian Formula One Grand Prix would be held in Albert Park in 1996, and that under the terms of the contract with Mr Ecclestone, the race would remain at Albert Park for ten years. This announcement was not accompanied by either an environmental impact statement, or a financial analysis of the costs and benefits of holding the race. | |
| 1994 | In May, Melbourne Parks and Waterways issued a 'Final Proposed Strategy
Plan' for the Park, followed in December by the 'Master Plan',
both under the general title 'Albert Park - Realising the Vision'.
The plan showed the Park roads reconstructed to form the Grand Prix
race track. The avenues of trees proposed for the Park roads in the
1991 plan and in the 1993 Hassell Group plan were eliminated.
Lakeside Drive was generally left close to the lake edge except for
two new bends into the golf course area. Aughtie Drive was re-routed
over the site of several sports grounds and within 10 metres of the
childrens' adventure playground to form a 'pits straight', almost
one kilometre in length. A 240 metre row of permanent 'pit'
buildings (race garages) was to be built and used otherwise as
a sports pavilions. The light rail embankment was to be retained
as a barrier to race noise. Lakeside Oval (home of South Melbourne
Cricket Club) was to be replaced by a new soccer ground for Hellas
Club (this club's existing ground was on the route of the pits
straight), and the Harry Trott Oval was eliminated, so as to allow
extension of the golf course to compensate for area lost by creating
the new bends in Lakeside Drive. On 13 December, major work on reconstructing the Park roads began with the felling of over 400 trees. |
In the history of 60 Australian Grand Prix motor races held
since 1928, 22 races have been held in Victoria, and of these,
only two (the 1953 and 1956 races) have been held in Albert
Park.
The other races were held at Phillip Island (8 races,
1928 to 1935), Point Cook (one race. 1948), Sandown (6 races,
during 1964-1978), and Calder (5 races, 1980 to 1984).
In 1985, the first Australian Grand Prix conforming to Formula One rules was held in Adelaide, and the city has hosted the race since then. The race organizers plan to hold another Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1995, then transfer it to Albert Park, where it is intended that it will remain for at least ten years.
In contrast to Albert Park, the Phillip Island, Sandown and Calder circuits are 'purpose built' race tracks, privately owned and operated. Albert Park is Crown land permanently reserved as a public park.
The Adelaide Grand Prix circuit runs largely through public streets and along the edge of parkland but unlike Albert Park, no significant road reconstruction or tree removal was needed to permit car racing.
The Adelaide circuit also includes the privately owned Victoria Park racecourse, and the pits, start/finish straight and some temporary stands are built within this area. 'Set up' and take down' time for this infrastructure amounts to over five months.
In Albert Park there will be almost total closure to the general public during the actual race period (one week), but more importantly, there will be months of partial closure while race facilities are put up and taken down.
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