Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne

Alexandra Avenue, designed by Carlo Catani,  was officially opened by the  Duke of Cornwall and York on May 17, 1901. The land adjacent to the Avenue was turned into a public park in 1904 and this park was also designed by Carlo and it was called Alexandra Gardens.  The area already a number of boat sheds for rowing clubs erected and the Army Engineers depot, which wasn't removed until 1935, so the gardens were designed behind and around these buildings.

The State Library of Victoria has a brochure from c. 1911 of a plan of the Botanic Gardens precinct gardens, including Alexandra Gardens (or Park as it was then known)

 Part of the Plan of the Botanic Gardens area showing Alexandra Park and Queen Victoria Gardens.
Botanic gardens:Photo-lithographed at the Department of Lands and Survey, Melbourne, by W.J. Butson; drawn by F.S. Hilcke, c. 1911.

State Library of Victoria - see the full plan here http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/166011

We will let a journalist from The Australasian of May 2, 1908 tell us what a delight the gardens were
One of the most, attractive sights in Melbourne just at the present time is the glorious display of flowers just across Prince's-bridge, at the entrance of the Alexandra-avenue. The roses are past their best, but the dahlias, chiefly of the cactus and decorative sections, are in their prime. Single dahlias are not appreciated by everyone, but a large yellow variety here is really a good thing. Cosmeas are in profusion; their light graceful foliage and showy blossoms contrast well with the heavier appearance of the surrounding plants. Bonfire Salvias are a blaze of dazzling scarlet S. azurea is rightly named its colour being a heavenly blue ; S. Grahami purpurata is a rosy shade of crimson. Golds and yellows are found in Rudbeckia Golden Glow and some of the dwarf Helianthuses. Cannas are a little past their prime, but Bouvardias, Lasiandras, Marguerites, and several other autumn plants ate at their best. Palms, grasses, Aralia papyrifera, Dracænas, Yuccas, and many other kinds of foliaged plants are judiciously interspersed here and there amongst the banks and beds of flowers. Signor Catani of the Public Works department deserves very great credit for the manner in which he has designed and laid out the ground. it is indeed a choice bit of landscape gardening. For many years this spot was a desolation and an eyesore; it has been converted into quite a fairy-like place, full of beautiful flowers and shrubs, rockeries, and well kept lawns, and all within a few minutes' walk of the Melbourne Town-hall. 
(Australasian May 2, 1908, see article here)

 

Princes Bridge, Melbourne.     State Library of Victoria Image H2014.1013/13

This shows some of the garden 'just across Princes Bridge', as the article above described. It is not the best photo - but I like it as it is a post card sent from Clara to Daisy - "Dear Dais - We are having a good time with my uncle, aunt and cousins. We are never home. We have  a servant coming on Saturday, so we will be able to enjoy ourselves much better. I wish you were down, from Clara"

Dais was Daisy Donaldson and the card was sent in 1905.

Even though, Carlo did deserve much credit for this dazzling array the head curator, George Cooper, deserves much credit. You can read more about George William Cooper, here. This great tribute to Mr Cooper comes from The Leader of May 4, 1912. 
The Curator, Mr G.W. Cooper; is prouder of this achievement that when he is praised for the very beautiful color displays, which are to be see at all seasons of the year in the beds and rockeries. Mr. Cooper is a son of the foreman of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, and the results of his work, now under notice, stamp him as one of the best of the younger generation gardeners in Victoria. The all-important factor of enthusiasm is behind this excellent example of public gardening, and Mr.Cooper's untiring efforts receive full encouragement from another enthusiast, Mr. C. Catani, who as Chief Engineer of the Public Works department, is the officer responsible for the maintenance of the avenue, which ends all too abruptly at Anderson-street.

Mr G. W. Cooper in the Alexandra Gardens.

The Leader, May 4, 1912. 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198130793

One area of the gardens was the Henley Lawn where spectators by the thousands lined up to watch the annual Henley-on-Yarra rowing regatta.  The lawn was laid out by Carlo and George Cooper in Autumn 1908. You can read a history of the Henley-on Yarra here, on the Australian Henley webite, http://www.australianhenley.org/history.html

Henley, before the First World War, c.1910 - 1914. Photographer: Albert Jones. This photo was taken in the Alexandra Gardens.

State Library of Victoria H2007.130/45

One of the features of the Alexandra Gardens is the Federation Star Bed, also called the Commonwealth Star bed. It was designed by Carlo and George Cooper and on July 11, 1906 was planted out with 200 roses by the  National Rose Society. The bed consisted of a six-pointed star representing the Commonwealth with interposing circular beds signifying each State. Each State was represented by a different colour rose. Read my post on the Federation Star bed, here. 

Alexandra Avenue, Melbourne.

Wonderful photo of the Federation Star Bed, dated circa 1906.

State Library of Victoria  Image H96.200/607

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Sources: Melbourne's Historic Public Gardens: a management and conservation guide by Rex Swanson. City of Melbourne, 1984.
Civilising the City: a history of Melbourne's Public Gardens by Georgina Whitehead (State Library of Victoria, 1997)
I have  created  a list of newspaper articles on Trove, on the Alexandra Gardens and W.G. Cooper,  you can access the list here.

Alexandra Avenue

In  July 1891 Melbourne suffered a major flood, when the Yarra River burst its banks and flooded surrounding areas. Later in the 1890s, plans were developed to straighten out the Yarra River to help reduce this flooding.  Carlo Catani prepared the plans and the entire project was carried out under his direction and supervision.  The work included the widening of the Yarra to the 300 feet as recommended by the Flood Board of Inquiry in 1892, but from Princes Bridge to the Cremorne Railway bridge, and diverting the course of the river to remove a sharp bend. 

On July 24, 1896 Carlo Catani wrote this letter to the Inspector of General Public Works, Davidson about the proposed Yarra River works -
The question is a complex one, as it involves, besides reducing the flood level, the other equally important one of improving and straightening the bed of the Yarra for navigation and recreation purposes, and also that very important factor of forming a beautiful promenade, worthy of Melbourne, on the bank of the river, where all classes could meet.*

These were the proposed works which included removing a sharp bend and widening the river.

State Library of Victoria - click on this link to see a higher resolution image of this map http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/114207

By 1897 according to a report in The Australasian of November 13, 1897 the Avenue beside the Yarra was under construction (read the full report here)
On the south bank a boulevard is in course of formation. It is so far advanced that a steam roller is now consolidating the metal between the five lines of deciduous trees. These trees define the various avenues. The avenue, 25ft wide, next the river bank is for pedestrians; next there is a bicycle track, also 25ft wide; then a carriage way 68ft  wide; and finally a track for equestrians 33ft wide. The equestrian track was covered with tan.

Did Melbourne succeed in fulfilling Carlo's hopes of having a a beautiful promenade, worthy of Melbourne, on the bank of the river?  We will turn to The Argus of November 13, 1937 to see what they had to say on the matter. On that day the newspaper had  a feature on 'Great thoroughfares of the World' written by L.R. McLennan. You can read the full article here but here is an excerpt

Paris may boast of its Champs Elysees, Berlin of its Tiergarten and its Unter den Linden, London of its Rotton Row and Rio de Janeiro of its spacious paved thoroughfares. Melbourne, a city scarcely past its century, has in St. Kilda road and Alexandra avenue two glorious thoroughfares, which, even the most seasoned of travellers admits, would grace any of the great cities of other lands. Visitors to Melbourne have called these two outlets 'the most beautiful in the world'. 
There are many famous riverside drives oversea, but in the opinion of architectural and civic leaders in Melbourne there are few to compare with Alexandra avenue....... Alexandra avenue, whose shadowed and dappled beauty ....must stand, while the City of Melbourne endures, as a lasting monument to the genius, foresight, and pertinacity of Carlo Catani. It is to Catani, great planner for the future, a former engineer-in-chief of the Public Works Department of Victoria at a period when the city was stepping from its swaddling clothes, more than to anyone else, that the residents of Melbourne owe this sweeping boulevard of almost Elysian beauty which is now in the green prime of the springtime.

Clearly, Carlo's hopes for the beautiful promenade were realised.

The Avenue was officially opened by the Duke of Cornwall and York on May 17, 1901. The main purpose of the visit of the Duke and Duchess, who  would later become King George V and Queen Mary, was to open the first Commonwealth Parliament on May 9  at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The Avenue was named after his mother, Queen Alexandra (I have included a short family tree of the Royal family at the end of this post) 

The State Library of Victoria has a number of photos of Alexandra Avenue - here are  a few -

Melbourne - Alexandra Avenue showing new cut for straightening the Yarra River and later the new course of the river

State Library of Victoria Image H347

Alexandra Avenue. the postcard was sent in 1906. On the right is the Temple of the Winds, designed and erected in 1901 by William Robert Guilfoyle to honour Charles Latrobe, first Governor of Victoria,  who selected the site of the Royal Botanic Gardens.  

State Library of Victoria Image H85.70/112

Alexandra Avenue. c. 1935.

State Library of Victoria Image H2000.222/20

Alexandra Avenue (Rose Series postcard)

State Library of Victoria Image H32492/1603

For those that are interested here is a short family tree of the Royal Family - Queen Victoria (1819 - 1901) - succeeded by Edward VII (1841 - 1910) who had married Princess Alexandra of Denmark (the namesake of Alexandra Parade). He was succeeded by George V (1865 - 1936), who had married Princess Mary of Teck. Their second son became George VI (1895 - 1952), who is the father of the present Queen (born in 1926).

*Catani’s letter to Inspector General of Public Works, Davidson - 24 July 1896, notes from the Alan Holgate Collection provided by Don Bartlett – VPRS 1139 Unit 2 - courtesy of Isaac Hermann.