Albert Park, Victoria
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Albert Park is one of the most fashionable suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The suburb is named after the massive park and lake which are known as the site of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, home to the Formula One Australian Grand Prix.
The suburb is characterised by wide leafy streets, open air cafes and many parks. Bridport Street and Victoria Street are centres of bourgeois living with excellent stylish cafes, delicatessens and boutiques.[link]
The suburb of Albert Park extends from the [St Vincent Gardens] to Beaconsfield Parade and Kerford Road. It was settled residentially as an extension of Emerald Hill, South Melbourne. In 1854 a land-subdivision survey was done from Park Street, South Melbourne, to the northern edge of the parkland (Albert Road). [St. Vincent Gardens] were laid out and the surrounding streets became the best address for successful citizens. Street names commemorated Trafalgar and Crimean War personalities. [link]
[Heritage Victoria] notes that Albert Park's St Vincent Gardens, Melbourne "is historically important as the premier 'square' development in Victoria based on similar models in London. It is significant as the largest development of its type in Victoria and for its unusual development as gardens rather than the more usual small park" and "was first laid out in 1854 or 55, probably by Andrew Clarke, the [Surveyor-General of Victoria]. The current layout is the work of Clement Hodgkinson, the noted surveyor, engineer and topographer, who adapted the design in 1857 to allow for its intersection by the [St Kilda railway]. The precinct, which in its original configuration extended from Park Street in the north to Bridport Street in the south, and from Howe Crescent in the east to Nelson Road and Cardigan Street in the west, was designed to emulate similar 'square' developments in London, although on a grander scale. The main streets were named after British naval heroes. The development of the special character of St Vincent Place has been characterised, since the first land sales in the 1860s, by a variety of housing stock which has included quality row and detached houses and by the gardens which, although they have been continuously developed, remain faithful to the initial landscape concept."''
St Vincent's is a garden of significant mature tree specimens registered with the National Trust and is locally significant for the social focus the gardens provide to the neighbourhood. Activities in the park range from relaxing walks, siestas to organised sports competition. The Lawn Bowls Club was established in 1873 and the Tennis Club established 1883 on the site of an earlier croquet ground."
The suburb has been home to the Formula One Australian Grand Prix since 1996. Notwithstanding the protests by the [Save Albert Park Group], the race circuit required trees to be cut down and facilities demolished, but funds were injected for replacement facilities. Today, the lake circuit is popular with strollers, runners and cyclists. Dozens of small yachts sail around the lake on sunny days.
Albert Park is the birth place of the Australian football legend Roy Cazaly.
| Melbourne suburbs near Albert Park (City of Port Phillip) | ||
| Port Melbourne | South Melbourne | Melbourne CBD |
| Port Melbourne | Albert Park | Middle Park |
|---|---|---|
| Port Phillip Bay | Port Phillip Bay | Middle Park
|
External links
- [Australian Places - Albert Park]
- [Albert Park Yacht Club]
- [Albert Park (The Park)]
- [St Vincent Gardens]
- [Monash University Study of Albert Park]
Bibliography
- Barnard, Jill and Keating, Jenny, "People's Playground: A History of the Albert Park", Chandos Publishing, 1996.
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