Ivanhoe Park cultural landscape facts for kids

Ivanhoe Park cultural landscape is a special place in Manly, New South Wales, Australia. It's a heritage-listed area that has been used for many things over time. In the past, it was a clubhouse, croquet court, and pleasure garden. Today, it's home to a scout hall, sports fields, memorials, a park, a childcare centre, and community buildings. It's also known as Ivanhoe Park (including Manly Oval) cultural landscape and Manly Park. The Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure owns this important property.

A Look Back: Ivanhoe Park's History

Early Days: Aboriginal Connections

Ivanhoe Park is located in a unique spot, between the harbour, the ocean, and nearby hills. Long ago, this area had low-lying land that was often flooded, creating swamps with mangroves and reeds. The higher parts of the park had sandstone slopes that offered shelter and firewood. Fresh water flowed down these slopes. This environment provided plenty of food from the sea and swamps.

The local Aboriginal people, called the Kay-ye-my, lived here for at least 20,000 years. They were skilled at fishing, gathering food from the dunes and swamps, and hunting in the forests. When Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in 1788, he was impressed by their "Manly behaviour," which is how Manly Cove got its name.

Early explorers saw many Kay-ye-my people and their canoes. They were a clever and strong community. Evidence like rock carvings (petroglyphs) and rock shelters show their rich culture. These shelters provided cool shade and protection from the wind. The swamp areas were important for food, materials for making things, and medicine.

Sadly, after Europeans arrived, many Aboriginal people died from diseases like smallpox. Others lost their land as settlements grew. This changed their traditional way of life. However, local Aboriginal people still have strong connections to Ivanhoe Park. For example, David Watts, from the Aboriginal Heritage Office, remembers an Aboriginal man throwing boomerangs on the oval in the 1970s.

Nearby areas have many recorded Aboriginal sites, including rock shelters with art and shell middens (piles of shells from meals). A burial site of an Aboriginal woman from the 1830s was found nearby in 2011. This shows the land was important for spiritual practices even after European settlement.

Manly's Growth: A Seaside Resort

Before the mid-1850s, Manly was mostly undeveloped bushland. In 1852, a businessman named Henry Gilbert Smith bought a large piece of land here. He is often called the "father of Manly." Smith had a vision to turn Manly into a popular seaside resort, like Brighton in England.

He created plans for a village and set aside areas for public recreation. He also started a paddle steamer service to bring visitors from Sydney. By 1857, about 30,000 people visited Manly each year! Smith planted Port Jackson fig trees and Norfolk Island pines, which you can still see today.

Ivanhoe Park Takes Shape

The name Ivanhoe Park first appeared around 1871. It's thought to be named after a famous novel by Sir Walter Scott. In 1871, a large dancing pavilion and a refreshment room were moved to Ivanhoe Park from an exhibition in Sydney. These buildings were used for dances, picnics, and church outings.

Manly became a very popular place for day trips. People came to Ivanhoe Park for fun activities like sports, brass band concerts, and dancing. The park was initially low-lying and often flooded during rainy seasons. In 1880, pipes were laid to drain the swampy land.

In 1883, the NSW Government bought Ivanhoe Park for £6,000 to make sure it would always be available for the public to enjoy. They also bought more land in 1884 to expand the park. Improvements were made, including better drainage, planting trees, and creating a cricket ground and a bicycle track.

In 1887, Henry Parkes, who was the Premier of NSW and later known as the "Father of Federation", gave important speeches in the Ivanhoe Park pavilion. He talked about uniting the Australian colonies, testing his ideas before his famous Tenterfield Oration. Ivanhoe Park was officially declared a public park on September 30, 1887.

The old Ivanhoe Park Hotel, built in 1875 from recycled materials, had an interesting history. It became the Manly Council Chambers from 1884 to 1909, then a courthouse, and was later dismantled in 1924 to enlarge Manly Oval. Its materials were reused again for the Manly Sporting Union clubrooms.

Fun and Games: Ivanhoe Park's Sporting Life

Ivanhoe Park has been a hub for sports since the late 1860s. Many important sports clubs started here, including:

• Cricket: In 1867, the first Australian Aboriginal cricket team played a match here before their tour of the United Kingdom. The Manly Warringah District Cricket Club, formed in 1878, is one of the oldest in NSW. Famous players like Keith Miller and Michael Bevan have played at Manly Oval.
• Rugby: Rugby was played in Manly as early as 1883. The Manly District Rugby Union Football Club (Manly DRUFC) was formed in 1906. Frank Row, the first captain of an Australian Wallabies team, was a co-founder. The "Tom Richards Cup" is named after another Manly player, Tom Richards. The Shute Shield, a major rugby trophy, is named after Robert Shute, who sadly died after a match at Manly Oval in 1922. Manly Oval is still the home ground for the Manly Marlins rugby team.
• Tennis: The Manly Lawn Tennis Club, formed in 1884, is one of the oldest in NSW. It still plays on its original site. The annual Manly Seaside Tennis Championship, held since the 1930s, is an important event for Australian tennis. Many famous players, including Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver, and Evonne Goolagong, have competed here.
• Lawn Bowls: The Manly Bowling Club started in 1894 and has been at Ivanhoe Park since 1898.
• Croquet: The Manly Croquet Club, formed in 1901, is the oldest surviving croquet club in NSW.
• Other Sports: Hockey, cycling, and running races have also been held at Ivanhoe Park. The Manly Marathon Road Race started here in 1911.

Community Events and Gatherings

Ivanhoe Park has always been a place for the community to come together.

• Wildflower Shows: From 1881 to 1895, Ivanhoe Park hosted Australia's first Wildflower Shows. These shows were very popular, attracting thousands of visitors and inspiring similar events across Australia.
• Royal Visits and Celebrations: In 1897, celebrations for Queen Victoria's record reign included tree planting and festivities attended by 3,000 people.
• War Memorials: The park has a strong connection to Australia's armed services. It hosted fundraising events during the Boer War and World War I. In 1953, the gardens were dedicated as the Manly War Memorial Park to honour those who served in World War II.
• Modern Events: Today, the "village green" oval is still used for annual Christmas Carols, community soccer, school sports, and athletics training.

Tramway Connection

In 1911, a tramway opened, connecting Manly to The Spit. The tram line ran along the western and northern edge of Ivanhoe Park, making it easier for visitors to reach. The service closed in 1939, but parts of the old tram track route can still be seen.

Scouts and Girl Guides

The Boy Scout movement started in Manly in 1909, making it one of the earliest troops in Australia. Many Manly Scouts later served in World War I. In 1925, the Manly Scout Hall opened in Ivanhoe Park.

Manly also had one of the earliest Girl Guide Companies in NSW, formed in 1921. In 1924, the first purpose-built Girl Guides' clubroom in NSW was created in Ivanhoe Park, using materials from the old courthouse building.

Roden Cutler, who later became a Victoria Cross hero and Governor of NSW, was a patrol leader for the Manly Scouts in the 1930s. The current Scout Hall was built in 1973.

Australian Air League

The Australian Air League, a national aviation youth group, was founded in Manly in 1934. Its early training sessions were held at the Sporting Union clubrooms at Manly Oval.

What Ivanhoe Park Looks Like Today

Ivanhoe Park covers about 4.58 hectares (about 11 acres). It has two main parts:

• Ivanhoe Park Botanic Gardens: This is a peaceful area with sandstone rocks, small lawns, and many different kinds of trees and plants. It's home to the scout hall, a childcare centre, and the War Memorial monument. It's a quiet escape from busy Manly.
• Manly Oval and Sports Facilities: This eastern part is on lower land. It includes the "Village Green" of Manly Oval, surrounded by a white picket fence, a grandstand, and a clubhouse. There are also lawn bowling greens and six tennis courts lined with trees. This area is the lively sports and community centre of Manly.

Amazing Plants

Ivanhoe Park has a wonderful collection of trees and shrubs, both native to Australia and from other parts of the world. Some notable trees include:

• Norfolk Island Pines and Moreton Bay Figs (planted around the 1870s).
• The very rare Empress tree from Brazil.
• Two magnificent Red Cedars.
• Several mature Hoop Pines and Bunya Pines.
• A stand of Broad-leaved Paperbarks along the tennis courts.

The park also features many interesting shrubs and groundcover plants, making it a beautiful and diverse garden.

Park Condition and Changes

Ivanhoe Park is in good condition. It still has the main features of its early design: a "gardenesque" (like a fancy garden) setting with curving paths and planted trees, and a traditional "village green" sporting oval with its white picket fence.

Over the years, many structures have been built and removed, and the landscaping has changed to improve the park for recreation. For example:

• The original pavilion was built in 1871 and taken down in 1893.
• The Ivanhoe Park Hotel was built in 1875 and later moved in 1924.
• Drainage and levelling work happened in the 1880s.
• The grandstand has been rebuilt several times, with the current one opening in 2002.
• The Merrett Memorial Gateway, a beautiful entrance to Manly Oval, was built in 1927 to honour a local sports leader.

These changes have helped the park continue to be a great place for both quiet relaxation and active sports for over 150 years.

Why Ivanhoe Park is Special

Ivanhoe Park is important to New South Wales because it shows how a park can combine a beautiful "pleasure garden," a traditional "village green" for sports, and a peaceful memorial garden. It's unique because it has a long history of Aboriginal heritage and 150 years of continuous use for recreation, sports, and community events.

The park's natural features, like its sandstone outcrops and watercourses, mean it likely holds valuable Aboriginal history that could teach us more about the Kay-ye-my people.

Ivanhoe Park has strong connections to many important people and groups in NSW history, including:

• Henry Gilbert Smith, who created Manly as a seaside resort.
• The first Australian Aboriginal Cricket team and their manager, Charles Lawrence.
• Henry Parkes, who discussed the idea of Federation here.
• Sports legends like Keith Miller (cricket), Frank Row and Tom Richards (rugby).
• Roden Cutler, a war hero and Governor of NSW, who was a Manly Scout.
• The early Manly Cricket, Rugby, Tennis, Bowling, and Croquet clubs.
• The first Girl Guides clubroom in NSW.

The park's mix of natural beauty, historic plantings, war memorial, and lively sports areas gives it a special and pleasing look. It truly shows how nature and culture come together to define a community.