City Park

Story

Launceston City Park is a park in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Established in the 1820s by the Launceston Horticultural Society and handed over to the Launceston City Council in 1863. It is now an important part of cultural life in Launceston and also a heritage park.HistoryThe history of City Park started with the allocation of an allotment for the Government Cottage in 1807 at the base of Windmill Hill. In the 1820s, the Launceston Horticultural Society acquired the neighbouring allotment to the immediate west of the government gardens for use as a botanical garden. In 1863, the Launceston Horticultural Society handed the gardens over to the Launceston City Council along with the government gardens to create what was named 'Peoples Park'. Over time, the Government Cottage ended up as rental accommodation and fell into disrepair until it to was handed over to the council in 1885 and demolished.In 1891, the Albert Hall was built on the north east corner of the park to house the Tasmanian Industrial Exhibition. The exhibition area enclosed a large corner of the park under temporary structures attached to the Albert Hall. A miniature railway was also set up within the park for a short time during the exhibition. In 1932, Launceston Corporation built the John Hart Conservatory in the western half of the park. A twin copy built from the same plans was also erected at Parramatta Creek near Latrobe.In 1965, Launceston became sister city with Ikeda City in Japan. As a gift, Ikeda City gifted the Launceston City Council with an exhibit of Japanese macaques which was built near the Cameron Street entrance to the park.