Petersham Park

33°53.5′S 151°09′E / 33.8917°S 151.150°E / -33.8917; 151.150Opened1887

Petersham Park is an urban park located in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The park is characterised by well established avenues of Brush Box and Camphor Laurel trees.

Facilities in Petersham Park include a cricket oval, rotunda, children's playground and the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre. The oval is used for cricket in the summer months and baseball over winter.^[1]

There are weekly visits to the park by the Inner West Council initiative called the Magic Yellow Bus which offers free activities for kids 6 and under.^[2]

History

Previously a part of William Charles Wentworth's estate, Petersham Park was officially opened on 28 September 1887. Petersham Cricket Club has played at the park since the 1880s.^[3]

Originally part of the Petersham Town Hall, the ANZAC Memorial gates at the Brighton Street entrance to the park were re-erected in their current location in 1921.^[4]

On 27 November 1926, Cricket legend Donald Bradman scored his first century in grade cricket at Petersham Park as an 18 year old playing for St George against Petersham. The D. Seddon Pavilion on the west side of the oval commemorates Dudley Seddon, and the T.J.E. Andrews scoreboard is named after local player Tommy Andrews.^[5]

Petersham Park Swimming Pool opened to the public in September 1962 and named after Fanny Durack in 1999. Between 2012 and 2014 the pool was closed for a refurbishment which included replacement of the six lane, 33 metre pool with an eight lane, 25 metre pool.^[6]^[7]^[8]

In February 2015, local residents and community action group Save Petersham Park organised a picnic and hundreds of signed complaints to protest an UrbanGrowth proposal to remove approximately 80 houses and build WestConnex exit roads into the park area.^[9]

Gallery

Petersham Park Gate on Brighton Street
Plaque 1
Plaque 2
Petersham Oval
Petersham Park Pathway
Historical information sign
Petersham Park Trees & Rotunda

References

^ "Petersham Park - Inner West Council".
^ "Magic Yellow Bus - Inner West Council".
^ Information taken from Inner West council sign erected in the park which references a photo from the Marrickville Council History Collection
^ webadmin (11 April 2012). "Petersham Park ANZAC Gates". www.warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^ "Your stories - Inner West Council". www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
^ Therese (2 April 2012). "Swimming pool stories: The future of Petersham's Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre". Swimming pool stories. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^ "Petersham Park - Inner West Council". www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
^ Browne, Rachel (11 August 2012). "Pool plan leaves swimmers feeling short-changed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^ Brennan, Elliott (29 January 2015). "Petersham's high-rise hell". City Hub Media. Retrieved 7 January 2020.