Weston Park

Birthplace of horticulture in the National Capital

• Location
• Facilities
• History
• The vision of Charles Weston
• A park for everyone
• Reference

Location

Off Weston Park Road, Yarralumla.

• A map showing Inner South Canberra with the location of Weston Park marked.
• A map of Weston Park.

Facilities

The park facilites available at Weston Park are substantial. A beach and swimming area are located on the eastern shore, and there is plenty of room for picnicking. There are picnic tables, electric barbecues and public toilets. A large scale adventure playground for children which has climbing facilities and a tree house is a feature. There is also a miniature train. There is plenty of parking and also a cycle track runs through the park.

History

Weston Park and the associated Yarralumla Nursery have served both as a key lakeside recreational/horticultural park since the 1960s and also as a centre for horticulture since the founding of the National Capital. The park's name recognises the pioneering contribution of Canberra's first Superintendent, Parks and Gardens - Charles Weston - and to the city's unique landscape and parks system. It provides opportunities for people of all ages to, on the one hand, learn about the importance of horticulture in the development of Canberra as a garden city and on the other hand, to make use of a wide range of lakeside recreational opportunities.

The vision of Charles Weston

The park's origins go back to May 1913 when Weston located the site for his proposed production nursery and experimental facility (Yarralumla Nursery) and the adjacent aboretum (Westbourne Woods) on and near "Westridge". He intended that they serve as the centre for landscape and park operations in the Capital. While experimental work was transferred elsewhere in the 1970s, the nursery's plant production role has continued to the present day.

Weston intended that the nursery and aboretum serve as a place of community interest and this has been the case throughout Canberra's history. The issue and sale of plants and the provision of advice has always been a key role of the nursery.

The arboretum has survived also to the present day. It was expanded in the 1950s under the then Superintendent, Parks and Gardens, Linday Pryor and although now leased to the Royal Canberra Golf Club, it remains as a place for the display and study of a wide variety of trees.

The area surrounding the nursery evolved as a park under the influence of Weston and succeeding Superintendents of Parks and Gardens. When Lake Burley Griffin was filled in the mid 1960s, the park's landscape foundations were maturing and it was able to be further developed to meet the expanding demand for lakeside recreation.

The park was officially named after Charles Weston in 1963. The park and nursery have since been classified by the National Trust and entered onto the Register of the National Estate.

A park for everyone

Weston Park is popular at weekends and on public holidays. Large and small groups congregate in the park, and the garden centre and associated commercial activities also attract large numbers of people. Walkers and cyclists find ample opportunity for quiet relaxation.

During a visit to the Park reflect on the foresight of the horticulturust after whom the park is named and of his vision for a National Capital of great natural beauty.

Reference

Gray, J (1997) The Historical and Cultural Background of Selected Urban Parks in Canberra.