Bowen District Park

European heritage

The origins of this park can be traced back to Walter Burley Griffin's 1918 plan for Canberra. He planned a small 'Grevillea Place' terminating at Brisbane Avenue, which was one of the 10 avenues he planned to radiate from the centre of Capital Hill.

The park was named Bowen Park in 1963 after Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of the new Colony of Queensland from 1859 to 1868. The name also commemorates John Bowen (a Tasmanian pioneer) and Richard Bowen (an early sea captain).

Charles Weston, Canberra’s first Superintendent, carried out some planting in the area in 1922. Weston covered the entire slope (which he called Rottenbury Hill) facing east with informal, exotic plantings.

With the completion of the lake shore in the 1960s, a range of deciduous spring flowering species were planted, including Prunus sp, Malus sp, Pyrus sp and Crataegus sp.

In the late 1980s there was a special planting of a cherry blossom trees in the area by the then Japanese Cherry Blossom Queen on a visit to Canberra.