St Arnaud - King Georges Park Dog Off Leash Area
An oval which is not fenced but ringed on the perimeter by Avenue of Honour trees. There are toilets, bins (near the toilets) and a water tap near the pavilion which has a concrete bowl.
History of King George's Park
King George's Park was the site of a crushing battery established in the 1850s by James Coleman (early store keeper) with Edward Butcher, Edward Chapman, and Seymour Tenney. It became known as the public battery as Butcher, Chapman and Tenney made it available to the public to crush small loads of ore and stone.
The site became known as King George's Park in 1913 when teams with horses and drays leveled the site. In May 1914 the Borough Council decided to establish a recreation ground at the park for use by the Football and Cricket Clubs, as well as the Athletics Association and the High School. An engineer submitted an approximate cost for a grandstand for 300 people, soil and preparation of the oval as costing 1,492 pounds.
On 21st May 1914 the Borough Council took the Premier of Victoria Hon W A Watt to view King George's Park with the hope of gaining financial assistance to establish the new recreation ground. By the end of the month, the Victorian Public Works Department granted 380 pounds. Work began on 1st June 1914 and took about ten days to spend the money granted. Three weeks later the Mayor Cr W. J. Rowe went to Melbourne to ask for a further 280 pounds to continue the work. The Premier granted them 300 pounds and the works continued. In December 1914, the Borough Council took out a loan of 800 pounds for the park.
In March 1915 the Croquet Club were given permission to build two courts in the north section of the park at the corner of McMahon and Milieu Streets, and the Tennis Club were given permission to build three courts at the south end of the park. Each club was to pay 1 pound rent for the first year. By September 1915 the croquet lawns were well underway and the football goal posts erected. The first few months of 1916 were very dry and the dry grass was burnt off in February. Many of the local men were away at war, so sports such as football and cricket were not played due to lack of numbers. In 1917 the grass began to regrow after the rain and the High School held their annual sports day at the park on 19 September 1917.
From April 1918, designs for the planting of memorial trees for WW1 fallen soldiers was prepared and the St Arnaud Avenue of Honour was planted on 31 July 1918.
From 1920 the St Arnaud Football Club played their matches here winning 7 premierships. They moved to the newly created Lord Nelson Park in 1954. The St Arnaud Cricket Club has maintained a presence at the ground where the crack of leather on willow can be heard each summer.
The St Arnaud Avenue of Honour Restoration and 100th Anniversary Tree Planting project was supported by the Victorian Government.
Location
14A McMahon Street, St Arnaud 3478 Map
