Kershaw Gardens is a park situated on an old landfill site in the Rockhampton suburb of Park Avenue in Queensland, Australia.
Officially opened in 1988, the parklands are bordered by the Bruce Highway (Moores Creek Road), High Street, Dowling Street and Moores Creek, which flows through the gardens on the eastern boundary, and into the Fitzroy River.
Kershaw Gardens consists of a network of nature walks, enabling visitors to inspect an array of native flora that has been planted throughout the area.
Other areas of the gardens include a scenic artificial waterfall, a slab hut, a dog training area and a large recreational area near the main highway entrance with a number of picnic shelters, a sensory garden and a children's playground area.Activities for dogs - dog agility tracks, Kickstart CQ. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
History
1988 Opening Prior to the official opening of Kershaw Gardens, Rockhampton City Council spent twelve years developing the site from what used to be the city's main landfill. The council had originally proposed that a botanic gardens replace the landfill in 1974, with initial development commencing in 1976.
Kershaw Gardens was officially opened on 18 September 1988 as part of Australian Bicentenary celebrations, with about 10,000 people attending the event.Gately, Michelle (18 September 2018) Secrets of Kershaw revealed, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
The gardens were named after the city's chief health inspector Cliff Kershaw, in recognition of his long service. After Kershaw died before to the official opening of Kershaw Gardens, members of his family attended instead and took part in a special commemorative service in his honour.
Prior to the official opening, a time capsule was placed near the Dowling Street entrance by the Rockhampton Bicentennial Community Committee, which was unveiled by Rockhampton City Council mayor Jim Webber on 26 January 1988. It will be opened on 26 January 2088 as part of the Australian Tercentenary.
A man-made scenic waterfall, fronting the highway at the north-western corner of Kershaw Gardens, was turned on at the official opening in 1988. However, it collapsed on 4 February 1989, prompting an outcry from Rockhampton ratepayers who considered the doomed $1 million attraction as a waste of money. A new waterfall was subsequently built on reinforced concrete. The second waterfall was opened in 1990. In 2010, it was revealed the waterfall was in urgent need of repair as a number of cracks and a leak through a retaining wall had been detected.Taylor, Adrian (9 March 2010) Kershaw waterfall needs repair, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. The waterfall was switched off when Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia damaged much of the gardens in February 2015. The council, wishing to show the community the gardens were taking the first steps to recovery, asked Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad to symbolically switch the waterfall back on in May 2015.(13 May 2015) A Marcia recovery milestone as Kershaw waterfall switched on , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
Rockhampton's restored Purrey steam tram formed part of Kershaw Garden's original plans, which was intended to take visitors on short journeys throughout the parklands. The tram was briefly operational at Kershaw Gardens in 1990, to mark the opening of the second waterfall. However, maintenance of the tram and the track became too costly, and the tram was removed from Kershaw Gardens and eventually relocated to the Archer Park Rail Museum where it continues to operate each Sunday as the museum's main attraction. Some of the track and an old railway signal remained at Kershaw Gardens adjacent to the North Rockhampton Railway Station, until they were removed prior to the garden's reopening in 2018.
The North Rockhampton Railway Station had been relocated to Kershaw Gardens to be used as an amenities block and meeting place for community groups.Lightfoot, Jenny (26 May 2013) Woodworkers Guild finally finds new home, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 November 2018. However, over time the condition of the station deteriorated and it was eventually demolished in 2017.Hooker, Amber (19 January 2017) Historic iconic Rockhampton building to be demolished , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. Rockhampton Regional Council had previously unanimously voted to demolish the building in 2012, citing an expensive repair bill to fix termite damage.Taylor, Adrian (29 March 2012) Safeguard our history, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. The decision to demolish the railway station was criticised by former Rockhampton City Council parks and gardens manager Tom Wyatt, Rockhampton National Trust Working Group's Paul Bambrick and former Rockhampton City Council mayor Margaret Strelow, who at the time was running as a mayoral candidate in the 2012 local government elections.Taylor, Adrian (30 March 2012) Leave our station alone: Wyatt, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.Mesner, Kerri-Anne (3 April 2012) Tough step to take, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
One of the garden's most popular children's attractions was the Rotary Monorail, which was located near the Dowling Street entrance to the gardens. It was opened by Rockhampton Rotary President Colin Pyne on 23 September 1990. It consisted of several pedal-powered monorail cars that ran on a loop of track, with a lockable man-made fibreglass cave housing the cars overnight. In 2009, council identified that the clearance between the track and the ground did not meet minimum safety standards.Monorail on track for the holidays , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. The attraction was briefly closed while council laid fill material and built up the area below the track to a safer height. After the monorail was damaged by Cyclone Marcia in February 2015, the attraction was removed. A smaller version of the original monorail was installed in the new playground area, which was opened in 2018, as homage to the original, larger attraction.Mesner, Kerri-Anne (26 June 2017) Kershaw Gardens mega transformation takes huge step , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
In July 2012, Rockhampton Regional Council officially opened a new fully fenced dog agility park and off-leash area near the Charles Street entrance.Prosser, Sally (7 July 2012) Kershaw Garden off leash area and agility park, 7 News Central Queensland. Accessed 18 November 2018. The space incorporated an obstacle course in an attempt to alleviate dog-related issues council regularly deal with such as barking and roaming, brought about by boredom.
Prior to Cyclone Marcia which closed Kershaw Gardens for several years, new interactive electronic playground equipment was installed.Gately, Michelle (27 January 2015) Kids give Kershaw electronic playground test of approval , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. Work on the new equipment had commenced in November 2014, but plans to open it were delayed due to a nearby power transformer being struck by lightning during a thunder storm.(16 December 2014) Storms affect Kershaw Gardens electronic playground , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. It was opened in January 2015. A wider $1.4 million upgrade to Kershaw Gardens was also planned at the time.(25 November 2014) Kershaw Gardens undergoing makeover ready for holidays , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
2015 Closure Much of Kershaw Gardens was severely damaged by Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia when it struck Rockhampton on 20 February 2015.
The high number of trees that were uprooted during the cyclone brought contents from the old landfill to the surface, including glass, used syringes, medical waste, asbestos-filled material, and general refuse.Robinson, Paul; Mackay, Jacquie (2 April 2015) Cyclone Marcia: Kershaw Gardens in Rockhampton closes after fallen trees expose old landfill, ABC News. Retrieved 17 November 2018.Stevens, Trinette (4 April 2015) Strelow promises council won't walk away from Kershaw , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.Benoit, Lisa (13 August 2015) Syringes, asbestos and rubbish will be a $12m clean up , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
Rockhampton Regional Council closed Kershaw Gardens indefinitely and advised people to stay away due to the hazardous material that had been uncovered.Stevens, Trinette (2 April 2015) Marcia forces Kershaw Gardens closure indefinitely , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. Despite this, some members of the public ignored warnings and continued to visit the gardens with their children, forcing council to completely remove children's play equipment to deter trespassing.
When the waterfall at Kershaw Gardens was switched back on in May 2015, Rockhampton Regional Council mayor Margaret Strelow reminded the community that the waterfall was the only part of the gardens that could be viewed as extensive environmental remediation was still taking place. Strelow said due to the amount of rubbish that had been uncovered during the cyclone, Kershaw Gardens had essentially reverted to being a landfill.
In June 2015, Strelow publicly criticised Minister for Justice Michael Keenan who had told council that he "had trouble believing" that the damage to Kershaw Gardens could be "that bad".(3 June 2015) Council invites Justice Minister to inspect Kershaw Gardens , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. Strelow invited Keenan to Rockhampton, all expenses paid, so he could see the damage for himself.Stevens, Trinette (5 June 2015) Why it will cost millions to fix Kershaw after Marcia, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
Kershaw Gardens was partially re-opened in December 2015, with council holding a small event to celebrate.Gately, Michelle (18 December 2015) 'Significant portion' of Kershaw Gardens reopens , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. However, it was closed again soon after to allow for additional remediation works and for work to commence on a major redevelopment, in an attempt to restore Kershaw Gardens.(3 November 2016) What's happening at Kershaw Gardens , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
In July 2017, Minister for State Development Anthony Lynham announced that the Queensland Government would contribute $5 million to Rockhampton Regional Council's $6 million for the Kershaw Gardens restoration and upgrade.Hooker, Amber (6 July 2017) $5m Kershaw Gardens boost, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
2018 Re-opening Three and a half years after Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia forced its closure, Kershaw Gardens was officially re-opened on 11 August 2018 with a family fun day.(13 August 2018) Barrels of fun at Kershaw, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018.McCosker, Amy (11 August 2018) Annastacia Palaszczuk reopens Rockhampton's Kershaw Gardens, ABC News. Accessed 18 November 2018.
The official reopening was originally scheduled for 4 August 2018, but complaints that it would have coincided with another major local event prompted council to amend the date.McKee, Christine (6 July 2018) Clash with Rocky Swap forces date change to gardens opening , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2018. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was among the dignitaries who attending the event, which was also used to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Kershaw Gardens which was due to occur a month later. A traditional Darumbal smoking ceremony was held as part of the event.