Melba Park, named after the famous Dame Nellie Melba, has high local significance as an important township recreational reserve, which was created as the result of the original 1867 township plan. It has been used for a variety of recreational purposes for over a century and is an important part of the town's heritage. It is notable for a number of remaining features, which include the Mafeking Tree; the Melba gates erected in 1927 by Dame Nellie Melba in memory of her father, David Mitchell; and the 1925 Lilydale Croquet Club Pavilion, relocated to the park in 1928. The park was the site once of an 1887 gasworks, 1880s Lilydale Market, the 1920s Melba Hall, and the 1893 Lilydale Baths, replaced by the Olympic-sized pool in 1959. Melba Park forms part of an important township precinct, close to the main Lilydale township shopping centre, covering an area surrounding the Museum of Lillydale (former Shire Offices) and Athenaeum Theatre (former Athenaeum Hall).

Melba Park is located in the centre of Lilydale township, extending along Olinda Creek, and providing the setting for a number of important buildings in Castella Street (former Mechanics Institute, Free Library and Athenaeum Theatre, and Shire of Lillydale offices).

Melba Park is an extensive area, containing a number of significant elements including the Lilydale Croquet Pavilion (c1925), memorial gates, Mafeking tree, a large oak located at the rear of the former Shire Offices, and the swimming pool (c1959). The development of the park, and the creation of these features is described in the history.

The Melba Park gates are large wrought iron gates set on tall stone-clad posts. They are located on the corner of Castella and Market Streets. The gates are dedicated to David Mitchell. The plaque reads: "To the memory of D. Mitchell. This tribute to my beloved father by his daughter Nellie." The wrought iron gates have the letters D and M as part of the wrought iron work design. The gates are intact except for the removal of a clock which was once located on one of the gate posts.

The croquet club is in Market Street, located close to the gates. The club house is a small timber building with an externally exposed timber frame (an unusual building form in the southern parts of Australia). It is rectangular in plan and has a terracotta tiled roof.

Physical Conditions: Good

Integrity: Evidence of stages