Kings Domain

The Kings Domain is a 36-hectare (89-acre) urban parkland and an iconic part of the city centre of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. The Domain surrounds Government House Reserve, the home of the governors of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and the Shrine of Remembrance. The Domain is important to the people of the Eastern Kulin nation and also has historical importance for its association with the early settlement of Melbourne and the foundation of British colonial administration in Victoria. Established in 1854 and initially cleared of trees, the Kings Domain gradually grew and extended further north-west. The area comprises lawns and pathways set among non-native and native Australian mature trees, a mixture of deciduous and evergreens. In the 19th century the Kings Domain was managed by the Director of the Botanic Gardens, so many of the trees were planted by Baron Ferdinand von Mueller and later by William Guilfoyle. There are many memorial statues and sculptures spread throughout the Kings Domain. Kings Domain is part of a 123-hectare (300-acre) larger area of parklands directly south-east of the city, bounded by the Yarra River, Anderson Street, Domain Road and St Kilda Road, collectively known as the Domain Parklands. In addition to the Kings Domain and Kings Doman South, these parklands also include Alexandra Gardens, Alexandra Park, Queen Victoria Gardens, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens), Melbourne Observatory, the Shrine of Remembrance Reserve and Government House Reserve. The park is located on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurung people; and is administered by the City of Melbourne. Heritage listings The Domain Parkland and Memorial Precinct was added to the Australian National Heritage List on 12 February 2018 by the Australian Government in recognition of the Domain's association with Australia's national heritage – in particular, as a place where the Traditional Owners asserted control to ensure the return and (re)burial of their ancestors is in accordance with their cultural protocols. The precinct also demonstrates a rare government domain with strong Victorian era components of significant to the Australian people. Additionally, the entire Domain Parklands were added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 25 July 2013 by the Government of Victoria in recognition of its historical, archaeological, aesthetic, architectural, scientific (horticultural), and social significance to the State of Victoria. Some notable elements within the Domain were also listed on various heritage registers, including the: Government House Complex – added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 20 August 1982 and to the now defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978 Melbourne Observatory – added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 20 August 1982 and to the now defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978 Shrine of Remembrance – added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 14 December 1991; and to the now defunct Register of the National Estate on 27 October 1998 La Trobe's Cottage – added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 13 April 1995 and to the now defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978 Sidney Myer Music Bowl – added to the Australian National Heritage List on 21 September 2005; to the Victoria Heritage Register on 18 February 1999; and to the now defunct Register of the National Estate on an unknown date Boer War Monument – added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 14 June 2007 Lord Hopetoun Memorial – added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 10 May 2007 Notable structures Sidney Myer Music Bowl The heritage-listed Sidney Myer Music Bowl is a world standard, architecturally significant, tensile structure and outdoor performance venue. It was officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies on 12 February 1959 with an audience of some 30,000 people, and has remained a popular location for Melburnians. Shrine of Remembrance The heritage-listed Shrine of Remembrance is one of the largest war memorials in Australia. It was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who died in World War I, but soon came to be seen as Australia's major memorial to all the 60,000 Australians who served in that war. La Trobe's Cottage The heritage-listed Governor La Trobe's Cottage is an historic cottage built in 1839 for the first superintendent of the Port Phillip District of the Colony of New South Wales, Charles La Trobe, and his family. The cottage was constructed out of prefabricated materials imported from England on five hectares (twelve acres) at Jolimont. It is one of the few surviving examples still standing of prefabricated houses from this period of history and gives an insight into early colonial domestic architecture and living arrangements. In 1963 the cottage was relocated to the Kings Domain as an historical landmark, and is now located backing on to Dallas Brooks Drive. Government House The heritage-listed Government House is the office and official residence of the governor of Victoria since 1934. Between 1901 to 1930 it was used as the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia. Built between 1871 and 1876 in the Victorian Italianate style, it reflects the extravagant style of the period arising from a booming economy due to the Victorian gold rushes. Kings Domain Resting Place The Kings Domain Resting Place is a memorial for the remains of Indigenous People marked by a granite burial rock honouring the Aboriginal People of Victoria, including the local Wurundjeri. The skeletal remains of 38 Aboriginal People are buried here, after they were handed over to the Aboriginal Community in 1985 by the Melbourne Museum after the Koorie Heritage Trust proposed legal action. Statues and other memorials Over many years, the Kings Domain has been a popular location to erect status and memorials, to the point where, according to some, it has become clogged. The description on the Australian National Heritage List was more subtle: Over a long period the place has been recognised as a home for memorials to important events and people. In this way the park is a significant holder of the city's memory. The many memorials located within the place indicate the high esteem held for the area by the community. However, in its 2019–2039 Master Plan, the City of Melbourne announced that it would not permit any additional large memorials or monuments, and stated: There are many memorials within the Kings Domain. Due to its location, character and high profile, the Kings Domain is frequently requested as the location to place new memorials. While each existing memorial has merit, the ad hoc accumulation over time has resulted in visual clutter and limitations on the way the parklands can be used… It is proposed that no further large memorials be placed in the Kings Domain, and any future memorialisation only be considered where it could become part of the landscape rather than as a specific element. List of statues and other memorials The following statues or memorials have been erected in the Kings Domain and the adjacent heritage area: Fauna Many native animals live in and visit King's Domain including the Brush-tailed and Ring-tailed possums, Tawny Frogmouths, Magpies, Gould's wattled bats, Eastern Freetailed bats and Grey headed flying foxes, Native water rats (Rakali), Kookaburras and several varieties of waterbirds. See also Parks and gardens of Melbourne Heritage gardens in Australia List of heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne List of public art in Melbourne Notes References External links Official website "Kings Domain". City of Melbourne. 26 July 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. "Domain Parklands". City of Melbourne. n.d. Retrieved 25 May 2026. "Domain Parklands Master Plan: 2019-39" (PDF). City of Melbourne. June 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2026. Doherty, Ben; Miletic, Daniella (12 April 2006). "Aboriginal protest order makes unhappy campers". The Age. Retrieved 25 May 2026. Wikinews coverage of the protest