Description of the attraction
King's Park is spread over 4 square kilometers on the western tip of Perth. The area of the park is occupied by grassy plains, a botanical garden and natural shrubbery, the so-called bushland, on Mount Eliza. It is home to over 300 plant species and 80 bird species. The mountain offers panoramic views of the Swan River and Darling Ridge.
In 1872, King's Park became the first park in Australia designed for public use. It is the largest urban park in the world and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Western Australia. Up to 5 million people visit it every year! Kings Park is even larger than Central Park in New York.
Among the attractions of the park is the War Memorial, dedicated to all the men and women of Western Australia who died during the First and Second World Wars. It includes the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, the Courtyard of Reflections, the Eternal Flame and the Pond of Reflections.
Kings Park hosts Australia's largest flower show every September. During the festival, musical performances, seminars, sightseeing tours and family celebrations are held in the park. A large-scale event is attended by up to half a million people!
At the foot of Mount Eliza, freshwater Kennedy Spring flows, providing water for local flora all year round. The source was discovered by the first Europeans who appeared in these places in 1697. The presence of fresh water was the reason for the founding of Perth here. Already at the end of the 19th century, a public campaign began to protect the territory of the future park, which turned out to be very successful. The park was opened on August 10, 1895. The park was originally called Perth Park, and in 1901 it was renamed Kings Park in honor of the English king Edward VII, who ascended the throne.
The Western Australian Botanical Garden covers 18 hectares of the park, which houses a collection of almost 12 thousand plants. The Scientific Research Center of the Botanical Garden is known all over the world for its scientific developments in the protection and reproduction of local species and ecosystems.
Another attraction of the park is the 15-meter tower built in 1966 in the form of a DNA molecule.
Twice a day, volunteers of the park conduct excursion tours around its territory, acquainting visitors with monuments and memorials, plant expositions in the Botanical Garden and the aboriginal heritage of these places.
