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| Albert Park | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Albert Park and Lake | |
 Interactive map of Albert Park | |
| Type | Public Park, Lake, Motor Racing Venue |
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°50′53″S144°58′16″E / 37.848°S 144.971°E /-37.848; 144.971 |
| Area | 225 ha (560 acres) |
| Opened | 1864 |
| Operated by | Parks Victoria |
| Status | Open |
| Paths | Sealed shared pedestrian / bicycle paths |
| Terrain | Flat plains; Large lake |
| Water | Albert Park Lake |
| Vegetation | European themed,Australian native, grasslands |
| Connecting transport | Tram, Bus, Car |
| Landmarks | Albert Park Lake,Albert Park Circuit |
| Facilities | Toilets,barbecues,playground,cafe/restaurant |
| Albert Park Lake | |
|---|---|
 Albert Park Lake looking south-east from the lookout tower at The Point restaurant. | |
| Location | Albert Park,Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°50′47″S144°58′12″E / 37.84639°S 144.97000°E /-37.84639; 144.97000[1] |
| Type | Freshwater |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Surface area | 0.49 km2 (49 ha; 120 acres) |
Albert Park is a largepublic park in theCity of Port Phillip, an inner suburbanLGA ofMelbourne,Victoria,Australia. Located 3 km (1.9 mi) south of theMelbourne central business district, the park encompasses 2.25 km2 (225 ha; 560 acres) of parkland around the 1.8 km (1.1 mi) longAlbert Park Lake, a 0.49 km2 (49 ha; 120 acres) Y-shapedartificial lake[2] used both forwater sports and public recreation.
The park is an important site for thesporting culture of Melbourne and Victoria, hosting multiplesports venues such as theLakeside Stadium, theMelbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and otherindoor sports facilities, the Albert Park Yacht Club and Albert Sailing Club, the Albert Park Golf Course, a 4.7-kilometre (2.9 mi) walking track around the lake, numerousovals, and theAlbert Park Circuit—home of theAustralian Grand Prix since1996. It occupies a trapezoidsuperblock bordered by (clockwise from north) Albert Road,Queens Road, Fitzroy Street and Canterbury Road, and surrounding suburbs includeAlbert Park,Middle Park andSt. Kilda West to the west and southwest;St Kilda to the south;South Yarra,Prahran andWindsor to the east; andSouth Melbourne to the north. The public-fundedMac.Robertson Girls' High School, one of Australia's topselective schools, is located to the northeastern corner of the park.
Albert Park was originally part of the extensiveYarra River Delta, which involved vast areas ofwetlands and sparse vegetation, interspersed withlagoons, some of which were quite large, including the lagoon from which Albert Park Lake was created. The area was occupied by localised tribes ofIndigenous Australians, theBoonwurrung people, for around 40,000+ years prior to European settlement, and was one of many sites around Melbourne where regularcorroborees (meetings) were held.
Following British settlement from 1835 onwards, much of the Yarra River delta was drained to dry the land and enable agriculture, housing and grazing. Through the 1840s and 1850s, the area now occupied by Albert Park itself was unofficial parkland, used for military training, grazing and hunting. In 1864 the area was officially proclaimed a public park and named Albert Park in honour ofQueen Victoria's consort,Prince Albert.
By 1875, areas of the park along Queens Road and in St. Kilda, had been sold off for housing and other uses, reducing the park from 385 to 231 hectares (950 to 570 acres). Through much of the late 19th century, allotments were allocated for sporting facilities such as football, tennis, bowling, cricket and boating. Between 1873 and 1880, silt in the lagoons was excavated and used as infill around the lagoon itself to create a permanent lake. In 1890, water was diverted from the Yarra River to help fill the lake. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the park was used as a tip, a camp for the armed services, scenic drives, picnics, and many other forms of recreation.
In 1882, 1918 and 1935, adjoining educational institutions acquired land from the park, to much opposition at the time. From 1941 to 1950, the Army occupied large areas of land in the park: this land was given back to the park during the 1950s and 1960s. From 1953 to 1958, motor racing was heldwithin the park, including the1953 and1956Australian Grands Prix, around the lake, until it was moved to thePhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Through much of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, although by this time the park was home to over 100 sporting clubs, general park maintenance was neglected by an over-restrictive management and funding became hard to come by, finances of any significance only being collected from the two restaurants in the park.
During the early 1990s, the lake was drained to remove weed infestations, rubbish and other debris that had accumulated over the years, and the park was reclassified as a sporting reserve. In 1996 theAustralian Grand Prix moved from theAdelaide Street Circuit to a reconstructed Albert Park Circuit, loosely following the 1950s configuration.[3] This was met with much opposition, but the project went ahead and a host of sporting facilities were subsequently constructed and funding allocated to improve the parklands followed.
Albert Park is enjoyed by approximately five million visitors annually. Vestiges of Albert Park's Aboriginal history still remain, the most noticeable being the large ancientriver red gum tree, reputed to be the site of manycorroborees. It is thought to be over 300 years old, the oldest remnant tree in the Port Phillip area, located next to Junction Oval on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Queens Road, St Kilda.
The Clarendon Street gates were originally built of wooden pickets in 1910, they were cast in wrought iron in 1939 and can still be seen today.
The parkland, Albert Park Lake and Gunn Island provides a grassywetland habitat for nearly two hundred bird species, both resident and transient. A 1990 study recorded 31 bird species as breeding in the park with a total of 21 these indigenous species.Migratory species include theflame robin,white-throated needletail andsacred kingfisher.
A population of highly residentBlack Swans (Cygnus atratus) are a popular feature of the lake. The swans breed on Gunn Island, away from predators that can attack the eggs on the mainland. In efforts to study this population of swans,The University of Melbourne has a long-standing project surveying these swans.[4] Swans are periodically captured, measured, tagged, and released. The neck collars are not harmful to the birds[5] and these swans can be identified from the shore by their black and white neck tags. Sightings of these swans at Albert Park Lake and across Victoria can be reported tomyswan.org.au, a citizen-science project that enables users and researchers to track their movements across the state.[6]
Locally rare native bird species that have been recorded in the park includelittle egret,laughing kookaburra,Australian shelduck,Cape Barren goose,great crested grebe,white-bellied sea eagle andwhiskered tern, whilelittle ravens,Australian magpies,long-billed corella,sulphur-crested cockatoo,willie wagtails andmagpie-larks are common. Commonlake birds includeblack swans andPacific black ducks,Australasian grebe,Eurasian coots,Australasian swamphen,dusky moorhen and all four freshwatercormorant species. Feralmute swans were removed from the park between the 1980s and 1990s. Feralcommon mynas andcommon starling are also numerous in the park.
Native mammals includecommon brushtail possums,common ringtail possums andwater rat.Common bent-wing bat,white-striped free-tailed bat andGould's wattled bat have also been recorded in the park. Feralblack rats are also common in the park.Foxes have also been spotted on occasion at night.
Severalreptiles andamphibians, such as themarbled gecko andeastern long-necked turtle, make their home in the park.
The lake is home to somestockedfreshwater fish species.[7] TheDepartment of Primary Industries releasednativegolden perch forrecreational fishing purposes, and the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) periodicallyintroduceshatchery-raisedrainbow trout as part of theVictoria State Government's $35 million "Go Fishing Victoria" initiative.[8] TheEuropean carp, deemed anoxiouspest in Australia although easily the most popular freshwatergame fish elsewhere in theOld World, are the most commonly found fish in the lake and is subject to control programs.
A vegetation survey in 1992 found 117 species of plants, a mixture of native and exotic species. A native revegetation area in the south east corner of the park features a large ancientriver red gum known as theCorroboree Tree, a heritage registeredeucalypt of cultural significance as a pre-European gathering place.
There are nine separate picnic areas, most with barbecues, shelters and toilets (4 of which are handicap accessible). There is a vast network of sealed and unsealed, shared pedestrian/bicycle paths, centred on a main route that circles the lake. There are several playgrounds of varying sizes, the park also hosts many large sporting facilities, including:
TheAustralian Grand Prix is held around theAlbert Park Circuit around the lake. In 2020 and 2021 the event was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[9]
Every May theRSPCA holds theMillion Paws Walk to raise needed income for their work with animals.
The Albert Sailing Club holds regular regattas on Saturdays. The Albert Park Yacht club, established in 1871 and the oldest continuing yacht club in Victoria, runs sailing classes over winter months on Albert Park lake and also has competitive sailing on Saturdays.
Albert Park is home to a 5 kmparkrun event. Albert Melbourne parkrun starts at 8am every Saturday from the Coot Picnic area.
Albert Park is used a by a number of radio control model boat clubs throughout the year, except when access is unavailable due to the Grand Prix. This includesTask Force 72, Australia's only national model boat club.
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Waterways of the Melbourne Water catchment,Victoria, Australia | |
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| Drains | Bunyip Main DrainWylies Drain |
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Authority control databases: Geographic |
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