Braeside Park
| Braeside Park | |
|---|---|
 Pelicans at Braeside Park | |
 | |
| Type | Metropolitan regional park |
| Location | Braeside, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°59′53″S 145°07′44″E / 37.998°S 145.129°E |
| Area | 310 hectares (770 acres) |
| Managed by | Parks Victoria |
| Visitors | 460,000 (in 2017)[1] |
| Habitats | |
Braeside Park is a 310-hectare (770-acre) metropolitan, recreational and conservation park in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Braeside.[1][2]
History
[edit]Before European settlement, the Bunurong people lived in and around the area for thousands of years. In 1851, the Colony of Victoria was established after separation from New South Wales; leases held by squatters were withdrawn and the land was surveyed, divided into portions and auctioned. The park since had a history of various owners and land uses. In 1982, Parks Victoria, assumed responsibility for Braeside park.[3]
Geography
[edit]The park's natural environment includes wetlands, heathlands and red gum woodlands.
The wetlands are made up of herbaceous native and introduced plant species which provide habitat for water-dependent birds. The heathland is located on sandy well-drained soil with vegetation including trees (mostly the manna gum), shrubs, sedges, grasses, groundcovers and herbs. The red gum woodlands consists of river red gums and a grassland of introduced grasses, mostly pasture grasses, due to the area's history of cattle grazing.[4]
Features
[edit]The park contains multi-use trails, a picnic area, tree stump art carvings and a community garden.[5] Braeside Park has a 24-hour car park at the entrance to the park from Lower Dandenong Road.
The park's wetlands are also a popular birdwatching location. Birds such as the pacific black duck, pied cormorant, spotted pardalote and whistling kite can be found in the area.[6] The park also fields the 45-hectare (110-acre) Heathland Conservation Zone, a restricted-access area aiming to preserve and enhance the remnant natural features and cultural resources of the heathland habitat.[4][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Braeside Park Precinct Plan". Parks Victoria. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Opinions wanted on park future". Bayside News. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Land Ownership of Braeside Park". Kingston Local History. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Environment". Friends of Braeside Park. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Braeside Park". Parks Victoria. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Braeside Park". Junior Rangers. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Biodiversity Strategy 2018-2023" (PDF). City of Kingston. p. 37. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
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