Kings Park and Botanic Garden

Kings Park, (Noongar: Kaarta Gar-up) is a 399.9-hectare (988-acre) park overlooking Perth Water and the central business district of Perth, Western Australia.

The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza with two-thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland. Offering panoramic views of the Swan River and Darling Range, it is home to over 324 native plant varieties, 215 known indigenous fungi species and 80 bird species. It is the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia, being visited by over five million people each year.Besides tourist facilities Kings Park contains the State War Memorial, the Royal Kings Park Tennis club and a reservoir. The streets are tree lined with individual plaques dedicated by family members to Western Australian service men and women who died in World War I and World War II. The park is also rich in flora (both native and introduced) and during September of each year Kings Park hosts Australia's largest wildflower show and exhibition – the Kings Park Festival.The park is an unincorporated area outside all local government areas; it is administered by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, which is a state government authority.

Prior to European settlement and exploration Mount Eliza was known as Mooro Katta and Kaarta Gar-up, the Aboriginal names given by the Nyoongar inhabitants. The area has been an important ceremonial and cultural place for the Whadjuk tribe who had campsites and hunting grounds in the area.In the 1880s Kings Park was used by the Perth section of the Volunteer Rifle Corps (a civilian militia) for shooting.At the base of the southern face is a freshwater spring, known as Kennedy Spring (Goonininup), which provided year-round water for the native inhabitants. The spring was noted by the first European visitors to the area, Willem de Vlamingh's party, on 11 January 1697. The Lieutenant Governor of the Swan River Colony, James Stirling, chose the townsite of Perth for this reason – the only local spring. He named the area Mount Eliza for Mrs Ralph Darling.The Colony's first Surveyor General John Septimus Roe recognised the qualities of the area and tried to protect it, by identifying the land to be set aside for public purposes. By 1835 Roe's protection was overturned and the first shipment of five tonnes of jarrah was cut on Mount Eliza, becoming the colony's first export. Logging in the area continued until 1871 when Roe's successor Malcolm Fraser persuaded the then Governor Weld to set aside 432 acres (175 ha) as public reserve. This was enlarged in 1890 by 450 acres (180 ha), and in 1897 the area of the reserve was further increased to 1,017 acres (412 ha) by Sir John Forrest, the first president of the Board appointed under the Parks and Reserves Act 1895. The area of Kings Park today is 990 acres (400.6 ha), 27 acres (11 ha; 110,000 m2) smaller than in 1897.Officially opened on 10 August 1895, the park was originally called Perth Park and was renamed in 1901 to King's Park – the apostrophe was later dropped. This was to mark the ascension to the British throne of King Edward VII and the visit to Perth of George, the Duke of Cornwall and Princess Mary. One of the major roads through the park, May Drive is named in the Princess's honour. Forrest planted the first tree, a Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla), and other trees were introduced to the site, Eucalyptus ficifolia and exotic species of Pinus; few of these were successful due to lack of irrigation.The Mount Eliza reservoir provided water to the local area, and still remains, but by arrangement of the lease was partly diverted for use in the park itself. This was largely allocated, after 1919, to the memorial Oaks and Planes lining May Drive. Their eventual failure led to their substitution with Bangalay, Eucalyptus botryoides, and Eucalyptus calophylla var. rosea.Attempts to situate an Olympic-size swimming pool on bushland in Kings Park led to the establishment in 1956 of a Citizens’ Committee for the Preservation of Kings Park, which successfully campaigned to prevent the proposal from going ahead.Since 1999, Kings Park has been administered by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA), who also administer Bold Park, and does not come under any local government authority. The park's administration building contains all the administrative offices where visitors may book guided walking tours, get information, or reserve one of the facilities. Kings Park was featured in 2006 on the American reality TV show The Amazing Race 9 as well as in 2011 on the Australian franchise The Amazing Race Australia 1, where teams collected a clue from in front of the War Memorial. In early 2009, the south western area of the park was severely damaged by a fire, which has been suspected to have been deliberately lit. The Elizabeth Quay redevelopment plans include a cable car to Kings Park, although construction is not in scope for the initial phase.

The botanic garden is an 18 hectares (44 acres) site within the park. Currently known as the Western Australian Botanic Garden it has a collection of 2000 species of Western Australian flora on display. WA Botanic Garden is part of the worldwide network of botanic gardens committed to plant conservation. The garden was designed by John Oldham, who held the position of Government Landscape Architect at the time. It was established to showcase the flora of Western Australia to those visiting Perth for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, although the official opening did not take place until 4 October 1965. Botanic Garden is today home to over half of Australia's 25000 plant species and the following popular landmarks: Conservation Garden Gija Jumulu Boab Tree Pioneer Women's Memorial Fountain and Water Garden Centenary of Western Australian Women's Suffrage Memorial Lotterywest Federation WalkwaySome plants photographed in Kings Park

The May Drive (formerly Synergy) Parkland is one of two children's playgrounds in Kings Park, the other being the Ivey Watson Playground. It includes a lake and island, play and climbing equipment for children, and life-sized model dinosaurs. It was formerly sponsored by Western Australian power company, Synergy. The Vietnam War memorial and Zamia café are located in the Synergy Parkland.

This popular playground for young families is specifically targeted for children aged under five to encourage strong early childhood development. It was extensively refurbished in 2006 with funding from Lotterywest.

The Aboriginal Art Gallery is a retail outlet on Fraser Avenue that exhibits the works of Aboriginal artists from Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Built on the highest point of the park in 1966, the DNA Tower is a white 15 m (49 ft) high double helix staircase that has 101 steps and was inspired by a double staircase in the Château de Blois in France. Its design resembles the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule. The paving below the DNA Tower is made with stones sent from 11 towns and 80 shires in Western Australia.

Jacob's Ladder is a set of stairs located at the end of Cliff Street, in the close proximity to Kings Park, though it is not part of the park. It has 242 steps and leads down to Mounts Bay Road. The Ladder is a popular site for Perth residents to exercise, with many people using it in the mornings and on lunch breaks.The staircase was closed after being damaged by a landslide during a storm on 22 March 2010, and re-opened on 21 June 2010, after repairs.

The Friends of Kings Park was established in 1993 to promote community involvement and commitment within Kings Park and Botanic Garden. The Kings Park Volunteer Master Gardeners provide a free garden advisory service to the community and offer free advice on anything from propagation and potting to planting out and pests. In 1922, the West Perth sub branch of the Returned Services League (RSL) became responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the plaques along Kings Park's Honour Avenues. Today they are known as the Honour Avenues Group.