William Angliss Park

In my defence, the weather was beautiful and warm and sunny when I chose this topic.

I had big dreams. Dreams of an assignment that involved sunny days and lounging about in the grass and picnics and all sorts of other lovely things.

Instead I donned an overcoat and brolly and headed over to William Angliss Park.

William Angliss Park borders/incorporates Rathmines Road Reserve, the home of Hawthorn Amateur Football Club. This means that there is a nice big oval with goal posts and a (albeit small) grandstand.
The oval is great for a kick or a run or even to run around and play with the dog (the reserve is a leash-free area). It is well utilised by personal training groups however, which, whilst great for them, can prove to be quite the pain when trying to run laps of the oval.

The actual oval is not the only open space at William Angliss Park however, as the Google Earth image demonstrates, with an oval shaped flat, clear area right next door to the actual football ground. This space is often utilised by groups kicking footballs or having a knock of cricket.

 Another key feature of this park is the playground. With Auburn Primary School basically right next door, the playground tends to be heavily populated after school with children and parents.









In my humble opinion, the best part of this playground by a country mile is the sandpit with working excavator. You really need only look at this wonderful piece of machinery to understand the magic of it. I however happen to have spent much of my childhood living next door to a pair of boys that had one in their backyard. These things are amazing. If you have a child or a sandpit, I can't recommend one enough.

Callistemon salignus

Callistemon salignus

PLANT PROFILE:
Callistemon salignus
Family: Myrtaceae.
Origin: New South Wales and Queensland.
Leaves: Simple, alternate, narrowly lanceolate to 90mm long.
Flowers: Bottle-brush spikes in spring, extending into Autumn. Usually cream, but available in pink, red and mauve.


Callistemon salignus is a reasonably drought tolerant tree, however it flowers best when not under such stresses. It will grow well in most environments, including those areas where water-logging can be an issue. It is a reasonably common street tree and is good for attracting nectar and insect eating birds, however if planted too near to paving or bitumen, it has the potential to lift it with a vigorous root system.



Information sourced from:
The University of Melbourne 2012, Burnley Plant Guide, University of Melbourne, Parkville viewed 2 May 2012, <www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>
Metropolitan Tree Growers 2012, Callistemon salignus, Metro Trees viewed 2 May 2012, <http://www.metrotrees.com.au/treehandbook/page-listings/callistemon-salignus.html>
Google Earth image from "Google Earth iPhone app", Google 2012 viewed 31 March 2012