Skipton - Stewart Park Historical Precinct
The Stewart Park Historical Precinct combines a platypus viewing platform next to Mount Emu Creek with historical elements from the past.
Lovely Stewart Park lies on the bank of Mount Emu Creek in Skipton. Originally the township's police paddock, the park now features remnant red gums, picnic facilities (three unshaded tables), native gardens, windmill, historical buildings, a cable suspension bridge, and a billabong!
More specific details about the features is:
Bridge - Erected in 2002, the bridge is named in honour of Francis Ormond of Borriyalloak, a station property in this area. He was a great philanthropist for the local area and other parts of the state.
Bluestone and Timber Residence - Built in 1854 , this residence has through the years housed Parsons' bootmakers, an early school, General Store and Drapery, Hairdressers, Tobacconist and Mixed Business and Court House Store. It is now restored as a private home.
Court House - The Skipton Court House is registered by Heritage Victoria as an early portable building, one of the few remaining from the gold rush days. The building is now the headquarters of the Skipton and District Historical Society.
Police Residence - This building was the former Police Residence and was built in 1910.
Police Stables - This two stable and forage store was built in 1890 replacing an earlier shingles roofed stable. Horses were used by police stationed at Skipton between 1864 and 1939.
Cairn - The Skipton and District Historical Society has erected a bluestone cairn on the site of the hut, to commemorate the earliest settlement of the Skipton area in 1839.
History and Restoration:
The area now known as Stewart Park began as the Police Paddock, where horses used by the mounted constables stationed at Skipton were contained and grazed.
The park was named after Donald Stewart, a councillor with the former Shire of Ripon. With the assistance of Thomas Cleveland, Stewart established the park on the western side of the Mount Emu Creek bridge in 1901. The Shire fenced and planted the site, filled old quarry holes and improved what had been an untidy western entrance to the town. A row of pine trees was planted beside Mount Emu Creek, creating a park with a distinctly European character.
After providing a recreational space for many years, the park fell into disrepair. Restoration began in 1996, with extensive work undertaken by Corangamite Shire Council and community volunteers. This included removing ageing pine trees, improving the gardens and restoring the former Police Stables, Police Residence and Court House.
The Millennium Drought subsequently affected the park and, by 2010, many of the people involved in the earlier restoration were no longer able to continue. A new volunteer committee revisited the original plans in 2016 and began another period of restoration, planting and ongoing maintenance.
The historical development of the park is commemorated by the memorial cairn near the small suspension bridge. European-style plantings remain in parts of the park, while areas closer to Mount Emu Creek are being planted with indigenous species to provide wildlife habitat, protect the creek environment and reduce erosion. Local stone has also been reused to create seating.
The information display acknowledges the First Nations Peoples of the area and explains that consultation with local Elders is intended to guide the presentation of First Nations history and knowledge.
Evidence of prehistoric megafauna has been recorded across the surrounding basalt plains. Before European settlement, the region supported animals including wombats, bandicoots, bilbies, dingoes, platypuses and Tasmanian tigers. Early settler accounts also described abundant birdlife, including emus, ducks, brolgas, parrots, pelicans, cockatoos, eagles and hawks.
Habitat loss, hunting and introduced species caused many native animals to disappear or decline. The restoration of suitable vegetation and habitat within Stewart Park is intended to support the regeneration of indigenous plants and the wildlife that depends upon them.
Photos:
Location
33 Montgomery Street, Skipton 3361 View Map
