Queen's Park, Bundaberg’s original Botanic Gardens site, is a great place to enjoy a barbecue with the family, drop a line into the nearby Burnett River or simply walk among the centuries old trees that dot the park’s 13 hectares.
Located behind the Bundaberg Base Hospital, the park now boasts a lush green carpet replacing the drab brown which for too long was synonymous with local parks across the Bundaberg Region.
Recent rainfall has transformed local parks following the extended drought of 2019 that placed immense stress on the parks, their plants and trees.
Queen's Park, known among the region’s older residents as “The Old Gardens”, was originally selected in the 1880’s as a Botanic Garden Reserve.
Community minded citizens became trustees of the area which was developed with the implementation of fences, gates and pathways.
Handsome clump of indigenous vegetation
Paying due respect to the natural vegetation which included “pretty trees and vines which form a handsome clump of indigenous vegetation”.
The area was prone to flooding and in 1894 an area of land was selected in North Bundaberg and was proclaimed as a Botanic Gardens.
While Alexandra Park is now the site of the local zoo, an enclosure was constructed in Queen's Park in the 1970’s containing a range of animals including Kangaroos, emus, deer and waterbirds.
The park boasts 2.5 kilometres of pathways and is also the site for the regular 5 kilometre Park Run activity on a Saturday morning at 7am.
Queen's Park boasts many beautiful trees, many of which remain representative of the original rainforest vegetation.
Over 100 rainforest species have been identified in the park.
Entry to the park is via Hope Street adjacent to the Mater Hospital.
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