Description of the attraction
Alexander Gardens Park is located on the south bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne, opposite Federation Square and the city's business center. The park was founded in 1901 by Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer for Public Facilities, and is today listed as a Victorian Heritage Site for its historical and archaeological importance.
Since the founding of Melbourne in 1835, the area that now houses the Alexandra Gardens has been used for felling, grazing and making bricks. There were regular floods here until a canal was dug in 1900, which strengthened and widened the Yarra River. Immediately after that, there were plans to create a park - they wanted to break it up for the visit of the Duke of York in May 1901.
In 2001, Alexandra Gardens opened a skate park with a cafe and an ambulance station, right next to the Canary palms, planted in 1911.
Numerous rowing clubs are located along the Yarra River, and today you can often see a team coach riding a bicycle along the river with a megaphone in hand and giving instructions to his charges. By the way, it was here that the Olympic champions from the Oarsome Foursome team trained. The Australian Rowing Regatta is held annually in December, which attracts thousands of townspeople and visitors.
It is customary to have picnics on the park's numerous lawns, especially during the Christmas holidays. Among the trees in the park are elms, oaks and palms, between which flower beds are laid out, including a flower bed in the shape of a star, symbolizing the Commonwealth of Australia.
