City Park...

City Park, originally known as "Peoples Park", has a long history, dating from the late 1820's. In 1827, the south-east corner was fenced off and the Government Cottage erected. A garden was laid out with fruit and other trees sent our by the Royal Society of England. Two pear trees were planted there in 1827, one of which is still growing, a little below the Russian gun.

In 1838, the Launceston Horticultural Society was formed. Under their direction, the park was planted and fenced. Owing to the increasing cost of upkeep, the grounds were handed over to the Municipality in 1863 and the park was progressively altered to its present form by 1900. Between 1863 and 1900, a small zoological collection was established.

Many features of historical interest are in the park - among them are:

• The iron entrance gates and railings were made in 1903 by W.H. Knight.
• The Sebastapol Cannon, which is situated close to where the Government Cottage once stood. The cannon bears an inscription in Russian and dates from 1840.
• The Jubilee Fountain was presented to the City by the children of Launceston and erected in 1897. Originally, it stood in front of the main entrance.

The old fountain, which used to occupy the site of the present Giant Chess Board, was relocated and restored to working condition in 1979. It is now the centrepiece of the "Senses Garden", a landscaped area dedicated to the handicapped for their enjoyment.

The Bandstand is similar in many ways to the Rotunda in the Cliff Grounds, and was probably built in the early 1900's. It is still used to this day for band concerts.

The A4 Locomotive, located in the children's play area, retired from service in 1952, having travelled 1,750,000 miles in Tasmania. Built in Manchester in 1891, it has carried no less than three Royal Parties in its lifetime.

The flora and fauna of City Park are of special interest. The well maintained Conservatory with native and exotic species, is open to the public at most times.

The Macaque Monkey enclosure was completed in 1980. The original colony of 10 monkeys were sent from Japan in exchange for a similar number of Tasmanian wallabies. The Duck Pond and adjoining Wallaby enclosure are on the north side of the park.