Caribbean Gardens facts for kids

Caribbean Gardens was a huge market, beautiful gardens, and a fun amusement park located in Scoresby, a suburb in Melbourne, Australia. It covered about 100 acres (around 0.4 square kilometers)!

Caribbean Gardens and Market first opened in 1965. It started small, with just a few people selling things from their car trunks. There were also exciting water ski shows. Over time, it grew into a very busy indoor market with more than 1000 places for stalls. It became one of the biggest markets in Victoria, taking up a huge pavilion of 10,500 square meters.

The market offered hundreds of different items. You could find fresh food, cool accessories, a big section for computers and tech, things for your home, clothes and shoes for everyone, tools, and toys. Fun rides and entertainment were also available in the Gardens during market hours. These included:

• 9-Hole Mini Golf in pretty Japanese Gardens
• A 5-kilometer train ride around the whole Caribbean Gardens
• The Jungle Cruise boat ride on Lake Caribbean
• A Chair Lift ride

Caribbean Gardens and Market was located near the Dandenong mountains in Scoresby. It was only about 25 kilometers from Melbourne. The market used to open at 8:30 AM every Wednesday and Sunday. It was closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Sadly, on July 1, 2020, it was announced that the park would close forever. This happened after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close temporarily, which hurt the park financially. Even after the official news, many people who loved Caribbean Market wanted it to be saved. A Facebook post about the closure received over 5000 comments of support!

History of Caribbean Gardens

In 1945, a person named A.W. Spooner bought a large piece of land in Scoresby. It was about 300 acres (1.2 square kilometers) and he called it "Dalmore Park." On this land, he built a fancy French-style mansion.

In 1958, while traveling overseas, Mr. Spooner discovered a material called fiberglass. He realized it could be very useful for building boats. Soon after, he started the Caribbean Boat Factory. To test the boats, they needed a lake. So, in the early 1960s, Lake Caribbean was built. Later, one of his sons, Rod Spooner, opened the lake to the public and developed the area into Caribbean Gardens.

This place is important because it was Victoria's "first local example" of a theme park. Many of its original parts, like the Japanese gardens, the railway, the chairlift, the jungle cruise, and picnic areas, are still there today.

In 1966, the "Woman's Weekly" magazine wrote about the Spooner family's goal. They wanted to make the area into a local "Disneyland." Already, the lake had many small islands with fiberglass crocodiles, elephants, and hippos. The park also offered "ski kite-riding," inspired by Cypress Gardens in the US.

The chairlift ride was built by Jack Griffiths and Ron McCallum, who made chairlifts. It originally came from the Whistlestop Amusement Park, which closed in 1974.

Caribbean Gardens also had an old sugarcane train from 1924. It came from Victoria Mill in Ingham. You could also see old cast iron street lamps from Melbourne placed around the gardens.

Now, the area called Caribbean Park is planning to grow. There are plans for new office buildings, more parkland, updated landscaping, new shops, and other fun facilities.

Images for kids

• 

  Caribbean Gardens

• 

  A sculpture of a chef's head in Caribbean Gardens