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The White Hat Guide to Alexandra Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens & King's Domain
(Melways Ref. 2F K9)These three parks run continuously from the banks of the Yarra along St Kilda Road to the Shrine and beyond. They also border the Botanic Gardens and Government House. These three parks together with the Botanic Gardens make up the vast area of green to the left of the river in the poster to the right. The Alexandra Gardens were created in the late 1860s from land reclaimed from the re-routing of the Yarra River. The gardens were reconstructed and laid out in their current form in 1904 and quickly became a focus for weekend recreation and promenading. The section of the Yarra with the Alexandra Gardens on one side and Birrarung Marr on the other are among the most picturesque and most often depicted areas of the city. The Alexandra Gardens are best known to the locals for the rowing sheds and as the venue for Moomba and similar festivities. For refreshments you can wander a little further upstream to one of Melbourne's favourite barbecue spots, sit on the grass and enjoy a burnt snag while the river flows slowly by. Or, if you prefer, you can wander a little further downstream and sip your cafe latte at Southgate complex while the river still flows slowly by. The Yarra is in no hurry, so why should you be?  The Henly-on-Yarra regatta has been held here annually since the reconstructed park opened in 1904, and it was on this stretch of the Yarra that the oarsome foursome trained. The small judges box built on the riverbank in the 1930s at the finishing line of the regatta can still be seen, as well as a war memorial for oarsmen who were killed in WW1. The Riverslide Skate Park attracts hundreds of skateboarders every day, and at the base of Princes Bridge you can hire a bike and ride for many kilometres along the bike paths which follow the river.
The Alexandra Gardens are really much more park than gardens, but you can still see the star bed which formed part of the original design and the Canary Island Date Palms planted soon after. The Alexandra Gardens, along with Birrarung Marr on the opposite bank of the river, are usually the central to the Moomba Festival and fireworks displays for such events as New Year's Eve. Riverslide Skate ParkRiverslide is the largest & best-appointed Skate Park in inner Melbourne. Featuring an 1800sqm skating surface & a café, it’s a must for any interested skaters. Located within a five-min walk from Flinders St Station, it’s situated in the picturesque Alexandra Gardens. Supervision & first aid assistance is provided on site during peak periods. Free
(Mel ref 2F J7)
Enquiries: 9663 0495
Queen Victoria Gardens
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Heading away from the river and crossing the busy Alexandra Avenue you come to the Queen Victoria Gardens. The frontage along St Kilda Road is suitably manicured and includes the large Floral Clock and an equestrian statue of King Edward VII. the Lady Janet Clarke Rotunda as well as lakes and rose gardens. This site was chosen in 1905 for gardens to commemorate Queen Victoria, and naturally enough contain a large statue of the monarch as a centrepiece. The gardens also contain a small artificial lake and waterfall, rose gardens, rockeries and garden beds as well as impressive landscaped lawns and well established trees. 
Floral Clock
(a gift to Melbourne from the watchmakers of Switzerland)
with equestrian statue of Edward VII in the background
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Linlithgow Monument
in the King's Domain, Melbourne
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The King's Domain had been used for many purposes before becoming parkland in 1854. It has been progressively developed since that time with the most striking feature being the re-routing of St Kilda Road to create an artificial hill for the Shrine of Remembrance making it a dominant view along the city's Swanston Street. A section of the domain became a unique setting for Government House, the home of Victoria's Governor. This area is open to the public on a limited basis. In the 1950s an important addition was the Sidney Myer Music Bowl which is home to numbers of open air performances during the summer months. Also in the Domain are the Pioneer Women's Garden. This was built in 1934 as a tribute to the pioneer women of Victoria and it is adjoined by a sunken garden and reflecting pool. The Domain is also home to Governor La Trobe's Cottage - the humble forerunner to the nearby Government House. Visible from St Kilda Road is the Linlithgow Flower Bed with its changing plantings commemorating particular organisations or events - Various statues in The Domain and connected gardens show people on horseback. How can you tell the status of a person from a 19th century equestrian statue?
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Australia Day Picnic & Historic Vehicles Display |  | | The popular historic vehicle display, with more than 500 veteran and vintage vehicles, entertainment, free activities and food stalls. | |
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Sidney Myer Free Concerts - Concert 1 |  | Did you miss this event? Then
subscribe to our free email newsletter to
receive advance notice of events such as this one. White Hat has kept its
subscribers Informed since last century and has
long become a Melbourne Institution for those
Intelligent and Independent
souls prepared to look beyond the bounds of either the mainstream -commercial or
mainstream-alternative marketing machines. (However, be warned that we can
occasionally be a little Irreverent.) 2009 is a special year in the history of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Fifty
years earlier in 1959, the bowl officially opened with a concert featuring a
colourful orchestral travelogue. The MSO is proud to present, 50 years later to
the day, a faithful replica of this exciting program on the opening night of the
Orchestra's Golden Anniversary Bowl season.
- Berlioz The
Damnation of Faust: Rakoczy March
- Bizet Carmen:
Suite No 1
- Enescu Romanian Rhapsody No 1
- Gershwin
Piano Concerto in F - John Chen piano
- Hughes Essay for Orchestra (1953)
- Wagner The
Mastersingers of Nuremberg: Prelude
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Carols by Candlelight |  | | An event that has become a popular part of the Melbourne calendar | |
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Click on the Alexandra Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens or King's Domain link to the right of the map. Use the controls to zoom in or out on the map or change to satellite view.
White Hat works hard
to make information on these pages current and correct. However with
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Always verify the information by using the phone numbers supplied with
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URBAN PLANNING NEWS
New York opens new linear park on abandoned
raised rail track
A new urban park called High Line has recently opened
in New York and a number of White hat's New York subscribers have
given it their thumbs up. Melbourne readers may remember the
scepticism with which the development at
Southgate
was awaited but how the people of Melbourne very quickly adopted it
and all manner of people felt comfortable there. Similarly, Sydney
readers may well have enjoyed the rooftop garden near Cockle Bay
which we have described in Sydney's Hidden Gems. You can find
details of New York's latest public space at
High Line. |
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Dandenongs
© Australian Pacific Touring |
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