Book Description

The six public gardens encircling Melbourne's city centre and managed by the City of Melbourne - the Fitzroy, Flagstaff, Treasury, Carlton, Queen Victoria and Alexandra Gardens - were established at different stages in the development of the city, from the first decades after the gold rush to the early years of Australian federation. Changing technologies, social habits, tastes and ideas about Melbourne and its place in the world have been reflected in the initial designs for each garden and in their evolution to the present day.All of the gardens were shaped from despoiled remnants of the natural landscape by various departments of the Victorian Government and the City Council. Whether planned or left over after other developments, none were promising sites, but under the direction of a few men - in particular Clement Hodgkinson, Carlo Catani and J. T. Smith - all came to be admired public spaces manifesting the civility of a booming new city in the Antipodes.Civilising the City is the first comprehensive account of the development of these gardens. Contemporary descriptions and archival materials, including the La Trobe Library's extensive picture collection, are used to explore their development collectively as well as to show the evolution of each individual garden during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.