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GEMBROOK PARK, PART FORMER ZOOLOGICAL

Other Names off Gembrook Road, Gembrook ,  & Acclimatisation Society Reserve Location off Gembrook Road GEMBROOK, Cardinia Shire Level Included in Heritage Overlay

[1/1] Gembrook Park Part Former

Statement of Significance

Gembrook Park (former Zoological & Acclimatisation Society land) is of significance to the Cardinia Shire because it provides some indication of the extent of the 1873 reserve founded to introduce a range of exotic birds and animals to the Victorian bush. There was a number of similar schemes in Victoria at the time but the reserve remains unusual within the region.

Some of the exotic mature trees (redwoods) allude to the park's earliest years.

Although conflicting with some of the original aims surrounding the reserve's creation, the present native bushland within the park is important as indicative of the forest before disturbance through occupation as well as the local will to keep the park in this form over the long period it has been under public management. The mountain ash forest within the park contrasts with the adjoining forest areas, most of which have been logged.

The Gembrook Park is a local landmark and has some historical significance for its distant associations with Le Souef, a prominent member of the Acclimatisation Society, and more tangible links with prominent local resident Harry Knight

Regional Significance