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Parks

Botany's residential and industrial skyline has changed dramatically over the years, but perhaps the most significant change is the reappearance of trees.

More than two million trees have been planted in our parks, reserves and streets since 1983. Several new parks have been created such as the John Curtin Reserve, in Mascot, which was once the site of a rope works.

Pride of the community is the Sir Joseph Banks Park in Botany.

The twenty eight hectares of parkland include the reclaimed foreshore parkland and the Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Gardens, the $1.2 million Bicentennial gift to the people of the City of Botany Bay.

The Pleasure Gardens are the best drawcard. They are a great place for a picnic.

The gardens were styled on old photographs and engravings of the original zoological and botanical gardens which existed in the early 1800's.

Features include the zoo playground with life size animal sculptures, a running track, a bike track, walking tracks, barbecue facilities and a lake with ducks and other waterfowl.

Another park of increasing interest is Gaiarine Gardens, the park created to recognise the City of Botany Bay's sister city relationship with Gaiarine, Italy.

Two other important parks are Mascot Memorial Park and Booralee Park. Both parks contain war memorials which were substantially refurbished with new gardens, stone work and walkways during 1995. These two parks were focal point of the Botany Remembers celebrations in August 1995, commemorating 50 years since the end of the war in the Pacific.

All parks in the area give residents a choice of active and passive recreation.

For more information on parks and their facilities contact Council on (02) 9366 3666.

John Curtin Reserve | map:G4

John Curtin is located between High Street and Robey Street, Mascot.

Originally the site of Scott's Rope Works it has been transformed into a superbly landscaped parkland.

The City of Botany Bay (then Botany Council) bought the site in stages between 1978 and 1983 and converted it into a passive recreational reserve with a small amphi-theatre, picnic facilities and children's play area. All set amid native plants. (The playground equipment was replaced in March, 1997).

Creating the park involved extensive mounding, turfing, tree planting and brick paving.
It was designed by Council's Landscape Architects.

The Reserve is named after a former Australian Prime Minister, the late John Curtin. Mr Curtin was Prime Minister during the war years from 1941 to until his death in 1945.

The official opening of the park was performed by the Mayor, Ron Hoenig, and the daughter of Mr Curtin, Mrs Elsie MacLeod. Mrs MacLeod travelled from Perth for the occasion and planted a tree in her father's memory.

Sir Joseph Banks Park | map: H8 |

Sir Joseph Banks Park is a 28 hectare area of parkland bordering the western half of Foreshore Drive, once referred to as Foreshore Reserve and Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Gardens, were renamed in 1995 to Sir Joseph Banks Park.

The original Foreshore Reserve consisted of planted bushland created on land that was reclaimed from Botany Bay during the development of Port Botany in 1970's. This area included 6 hectares of the original sand dunes and small pockets of remnant vegetation.

The old Foreshore Reserve was designed by a landscape consultancy firm, Bruce McKenzie & Associates who were commissioned by the Maritime Services Board. Plans were drawn up for the moulding and shaping of this sand filled area and these Stage 1 works were completed in 1980. Stage 2 which included the installation of a network of pathways, car parks, various structures such as bridges, boardwalks, picnic areas and rain shelters as well as all of the planting and irrigation were completed over the next 5 years. One of the major features of this park are its network of ponds, most permanent, a few ephemeral.

In 1992 under a dollar for dollar grant from the Metropolitan Greenspace Program a Park Management Strategy was prepared by Seaside Landscape Management to enable better maintenance of the reserve. Bush regeneration is one of the ongoing management practices in the Reserve and involves extensive weed removal and the planting of native, including indigenous tube stock. Council is also investigating a community based environment group to assist in the management and monitoring of the park.

In 1995 part of the park was modified to provide new ponds for the endangered Green & Golden Bell Frog, relocated from a development site in Rosebery. This area is still being monitored and improved to assist the species' survival.

Sir Joseph Banks Park adjoins the Botany Golf Course and can be accessed from Fremlin, Tupia and Waratah Streets off Botany Road as well as via Foreshore Drive.

Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Gardens | map: H8 |

These famous pleasure grounds by Botany Bay were the main attraction of the old Sir Joseph Banks Hotel in its heyday in the 19th Century. In the 1840's and 1850's the Sir Joseph Banks Zoological and Botanical Gardens featured the colony's first zoo with Elephants, Bengal Tigers and Bears. Other attractions included walkways and arbours, sports area, including Australia's first professional foot racing track, playgrounds, an amphitheatre and a large lunch pavilion.

From 1845 through to the 1910 the Hotel and its famed Pleasure Gardens was Australia's equivalent of an European spa resort. However, the fortunes of the Hotel and its garden declined and in the 1920's the estate was subdivided with the remnant bayside gardens becoming a public park.

It was for over forty years that the former gardens remained vacant mown grassland until Botany Council decided to undertake an interpretative recreation of the former flamboyant Victoria Pleasure Gardens as its 1988 Bicentennial Project.

Today the Gardens are the pride of the community.

It features a sports oval, thematic gardens, a maze, pergolas, a lifesize bronze statue of Sir Joseph Banks. Structures in the park include an arbour and formal terraces.

Australia's first zoo was located on this site and is commemorated by huge topiary elephants and a sculptured zoo animal playground. Today children can climb and play on life-sized, life-like cement animals sculpted by Perth animal portraitist William Rees.

Animals featured in the "zoo" which was sponsored by Kelloggs, include tigers, bears, elephants, camels and gorillas.

The new running track has enabled the "The Botany Bay Gift," Australia's oldest professional running race, to be seen once again as an annual event at Botany.

Designed by Council's Landscape Architect, Andrew Prowse, and built predominately by council staff the construction got underway in September 1987 and took several years to complete.

The approximate cost of $1.2 million was met by a $200,000 New South Wales Bicentennial Council Grant, Botany Council and corporate sponsorship from local industry.

Some of the major sponsors included Kelloggs, Esso, Pascol Paints, Ampol, Johnson and Johnson and many others.

Gaiarine Gardens | map: K6 |

Gaiarine Gardens was created to recognise the City of Botany Bay's sister city relationship with Gaiarine, Italy.

The Gardens

The entry to the park is a gathering place that greets the visitor and sets the theme of the gardens.
The walls at the threshold to the gardens feature metalwork, mosaics and a drinking fountain. All these elements are featured in most traditional Italian gardens.

The use of water is a common theme. The bubbler with foot pedal for easy usage is embellished with the image of the sun, Apollo. The sun is also important in the Australian culture as it is symbolic of Australia's love of outdoor living.

The mosaic at the entrance to the gardens depicts both a Banksia and an Olive tree branch intertwined, symbolising the friendship between Botany and Gaiarine. The Banksia is a tree which grows naturally in this district. The olive is, of course, found in Italy.

All the plants and attractions in Gaiarine Gardens follow the theme of being common to both Australian and Italian gardens.

The Gardens were officially opened in January, 1992, by the then Mayor of Gaiarine, Vittrino Fantuz and the Mayor of Botany, Ron Hoenig. The opening coincided with the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship.

Bersaglieri Plaque

The Bersalglieri organisation is very similar to Australia's Returned Servicemen's League (RSL). They are the core of the Italian army and are highly regarded because they are soldiers who run instead of walk.

This plaque, donated by the President of the Bersaglieri in Gaiarine, Mr Benny Pessotto, represents the history of the corps which was founded in 1836.

Around the central figure on the plaque are various depictions of the Bersaglieri in action, (top) the conquest of Rome, (middle) riding bicycles and motorcycles and (bottom) the corps activities today.

Gaiarine - The Town

Gaiarine is a small agricultural area in northern Italy, about 50 kilometres from the Adriatic Sea. It is part of Veneto which, with its capital Venice, attracts large numbers of tourists from Australia and all around the world.

The sister-city relationship between the two areas developed after a goodwill visit in 1982 by a delegation from Italy, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first migrants from Gaiarine.

Mascot Memorial Park | map: H3 |

Mascot Memorial Park was acquired in 1920 from the estate of the late William Parker for 3000 pounds. The park was the site of the first North Botany council meeting in 1888 in the cottage belonging to William Parker.

Improvements to the park, which involved the setting out of memorial gardens and tree planting, was carried out by a large contingent of volunteer labour at an additional cost to Council of 2000 pounds. Many of the original plantings include the grand Cottonwood quadrangle, Willows, Canary Island Date Palms and other palms, Bamboo and display beds of annual plants of the era which included, of course, Roses.

The foundation stone for the World War I memorial on the corner of Botany Road and Coward Street was laid by Alderman T H Hicks on his election as Mayor of Mascot in 1920. An additional plaque was added in 1967 to commemorate the memory of the fallen of World War II and all subsequent wars.

In 1995 the memorial was restored and upgraded by Council for the anniversary of the end of World War II. Work included extensive restoration of the pre-1920 lights by Mascot Steel, high pressure cleaning and re-gilding of inscriptions. Sawn sandstone armed forces pads replaced the old concrete ones as well as a decorative sandstone rail either side of the stairs leading up to the memorial onto a new sandstone landing. Two `Remembrance Walls' either side of the memorial commemorating the Pacific and European campaigns of World War II were designed and constructed out of 2 types of Australian granite. An open circular pathway of ground granite complements the colours of the stonework in the memorial and is bordered with Rosemary hedges and white Anzac carpet roses.

In 1994 Council made a commitment to upgrade the park in various stages to return it to its former state as one of Botany's showpiece parks and premier formal gardens and to restore the original grandeur and splendour of the park as well as making it a place to relax and enjoy. Stage 1, which included restoration of the memorial, comprised rejuvenation of the feature display beds on the Coward Street frontage based on a conceptual masterplan prepared by Council's Landscape Architect. There are 3 spiral shaped display beds planted out with annual and perennial flowering bedding plants with manicured lawns in between, each spiral a different colour theme. Stage 1 was completed in mid-1995. Later stages include rejuvenation of the Botany Road flower beds, decorative walkways and planting throughout the park, sculptures and fountains, a gazebo and new furniture.

Included in the park are 2 tennis courts and a colourful playground which replaced outdated equipment in 1994. The park is well used for large cultural and commemorative functions, such as Anzac Day celebrations and Carols by Candlelight, as well as for wedding ceremonies, picnics and lunch for office workers. Mascot Senior Citizens and Family Day Care are also located within the park.

Booralee Park | map: I6 |

Booralee Park is located in Bay Street at Botany, between Jasmine and Daniel Streets and is large area of parkland predominantly utilised as a sporting venue for rugby league in the winter season and cricket throughout the summer, there a 2 football fields and 4 cricket wickets in the park.

The park is ringed by mature Moreton Bay Fig trees which contribute to the visually grand scale of this park and they also support a variety of birdlife. Existing in the park is a building listed in Council's heritage study which is currently utilised for storage. The building is to be re-vamped shortly by Council in accordance with heritage regulations and converted for other uses. There is also an amenities building/kiosk utilised by the various the sporting groups.

The park is heavily used by local schools for sport on a weekday and the Local Government Touch Football competition has also used Booralee Park as a venue. The park adjoins the Botany Big Splash swimming complex in Myrtle street and a fenced playground for toddlers was installed in late 1995.

Parks List

Park Name	Suburb	Area(Ha)	Location
1042 Botany Road	Botany	0.02	1042 Botany Road
Arthur Park	Botany	0.3118	Cnr Botany Rd, Chelmsford
Bridget Tight Reserve	Eastlakes	1.0242	Cnr Evans Ave and Dalby Pl
Chant Reserve	Pagewood	0.5162	Chant Ave
Coleman Reserve	Mascot	0.0114	Cnr Coleman and Duguid Streets
Dacey Gardens	Daceyville	0.8095	Gardeners Road
Devitt Place Reserve	Hillsdale	0.0784	Devitt Place
Dransfield Avenue Reserve	Mascot	1.52	Dransfield Avenue
Dr. Darragh Reserve	Mascot	0.0291	Cnr Wentworth Ave and Botany Rd
Eastlakes Reserve	Eastlakes	1.7077	Evans, Barber and Longworth
Edmund Thornton Reserve	Eastlakes	0.2424	Off O'Rourke and Gray Streets
Elliot Place Reserve	Hillsdale	0.1612	Elliot Place, off Brittain Cres
Elphick Avenue Reserve	Mascot	0.0506	Elphick Ave
Firmstone Reserve	Pagewood	0.3413	Access off Park Pde,Keysor Murray
Flack Avenue Reserve	Hillsdale	0.0727	Beauchamp Rd and Flack Ave
Flint Street Reserve	Hillsdale	0.0765	Flint Street, opp Tierney Ave
Florence Avenue Reserve	Eastlakes	0.465	Florence Ave thru to Gardeners Rd
Gaiarine Gardens	Pagewood	1.1516	Cnr Ocean and Banksia Streets
Glanville Reserve	Pagewood	0.5795	Glanville Ave and Kerr Crescent
Grace Campbell Reserve	Hillsdale	0.2787	Grace Campbell Cres (north)
Grace Campbell Reserve 2	Hillsdale	0.0462	Grace Campbell Cres
Grace Campbell Reserve 3	Hillsdale	0.1467	Grace Campbell Cres, Rhodes St
Grace Campbell Reserve 4	Hillsdale	0.0512	Grace Campbell Cres (south)
Griffith Park	Eastlakes	0.0221	Cnr Maloney and Robinson Streets
Haig Reserve	Daceyville	0.5251	Access off Wills Cres and Colenso
Harris Reserve	Pagewood	0.1036	Bunnerong Rd and Harris St
High Street Reserve	Mascot	0.2086	High St thru to King St
Holloway Street Reserve	Pagewood	0.0373	Baker St
Hughes Avenue Reserve	Mascot	0.3276	(north side 0.1641, south side 0.1635)
Jauncey Place Reserve	Hillsdale	0.1045	Jauncey Place thru to Devitt Pl
Jerome Dowling Reserve	Eastlakes	0.1175	Mascot Drive cul-d-sac
John Curtin Reserve	Mascot	1.435	Robey St and High St
Lauriston Park	Mascot	0.2	Cnr Coward St and Middlemiss
Leon Lachal Reserve	Eastlakes	0.0835	Mascot Drive
Lever Street Reserve	Mascot	0.1947	Lever St, and access off Rolf St
Mascot Memorial Park	Mascot	2.3	Botany Rd, Coward and Aloha Sts
Mascot Park	Mascot		Coward and Forster
55 McBurney Avenue	Mascot	0.1398	55 McBurney Ave
McBurney Avenue Reserve	Mascot	0.834	McBurney Ave and Botany Rd
Morgan Street Reserve	Botany	0.0114	Cnr William and Morgan Sts
Muller Reserve	Hillsdale	0.1024	Cnr Smith and Mathewson Sts
Nilson Avenue Reserve	Hillsdale	0.0462	Nilson Avenue
Unnamed Park Nilson Avenue	Hillsdale	0.033	Nilson Avenue
Rhodes Street Reserve	Hillsdale	3.073	(includes Pt Portion 205 adjacent to Denison Street) Rhodes St, thru to Denison St
Robey Street Reserve	Mascot	0.047	Cnr Robey St and Botany Rd
Sir Joseph Banks Park	Botany	33.5892	Foreshore Rd, Fremlin and Tupia Sts, Hayden Pl, The Esplanade
Sparks Street Road Closure	Mascot	0.0044	Sparks and Sutherland Sts
Sparks Street Reserve	Mascot	0.6489	Sparks St and Wentworth Ave
Sutherland Street Reserve	Mascot	0.03	Cnr Sutherland and Coward
Templeman Crescent Reserve	Hillsdale	0.0569	Templeman Cres
Tierney Avenue Reserve	Hillsdale	0.134	Cnr Tierney Ave and Flint Street
Todd Reserve	Mascot	0.4509	Wentworth Ave thru to Dransfield
Vernon Avenue Reserve	Eastlakes	0.1423	Cnr Vernon Ave and O'Connor St
Wall Reserve	Botany	0.0380	Cnr Tenterden and Hastings
Wentworth Avenue Reserve	Pagewood	0.0221	Cnr Wentworth Ave and Page St

Other open space not run or owned by Council

David Phillips Field	Daceyville		Access off Banks Avenue
Bonnie Doon Golf Course	Pagewood	38.62	Access off Banks Avenue
Eastlakes Golf Course	Daceyville		Access off Isaac Smith St
The Lakes Golf Course	Mascot	163.1429	Access from end King St
Driving Range	Daceyville
Botany Wetlands	Mascot

Various bowling clubs including the following:

Seafarers	Mascot	0.368	Wentworth Avenue
Hillsdale Bowling Club	Hillsdale		Rhodes Street
South Sydney Juniors Bowling Club	Botany		Edgehill Avenue
Transport Bowling Club	Eastlakes		Florence Avenue