LOCATION

Wilson Reserve comprises 2.8 hectares of parkland of predominantly riparian and grassy woodland. It is

bordered along its southern edge by the Yarra River, and Chelsworth Park on the east.

 

FEATURES

It contains a recent children's playground which largely replaces an earlier (1968) playground designed and implemented by noted landscape designer and local resident Ellis Stones. The placement of a long slide set into the hillside, together with a number of eucalypts including Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata) in the playground / car park area, are remnants of his playground design.

 

HERITAGE

The large infestation of Wandering Jew (Tradescantia sp.) in the Reserve is believed to have been introduced by 'Skipper' Wilson as an ornamental border planting around the c.1910 Sea Scout Hall (also known as the boathouse), and fishermen digging for worms were responsible for its spread throughout the Reserve The approximate location of the now lost Sea Scout Hall is marked by another building -

the extant 1945 'Memorial Den'. This is a simple low concrete structure with a flat roof. It has a storage area attached to one side, accessed by a cyclone wire gate

 

In addition to its indigenous vegetation, Wilson Reserve also contains a number of mature exotic trees such as poplars and oaks associated either with the Chelsworth Estate or the Sea Scouts' early use of the Reserve. A number of memorials, in the form of plaques, cairns and obelisks aassociated with the Sea Scouts are located within the Reserve

 

HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

 Wilson Reserve is of local significance as the site of the first training camp for scout leaders in Victoria, and for its long association with one of Victoria's first scout troops - 1st Ivanhoe Troop (1908) - later becoming the Ivanhoe Sea Scouts (1918).

 

This significance is demonstrated by the concrete building constructed on the site of the

camp in 1945 as a memorial to the sea scouts who died in World War Two, and associated plaques and

commemorative structures in the reserve. 

 

Wilson Reserve is of historical significance for its exotic oak and poplar plantings dating back associated with the area's early European history. 

  

Wilson Reserve is of social significance for its long association with early community and environmental groups from the 1920s until the present day. It is also significant for the close and enduring involvement of noted landscape designer and environmentalist Ellis Stones in various construction works including memorial cairn (1940s), remnant rock works, slide placement and plantings associated with his pioneering playground design from 1968. 

 

ACCESS

Vehicle access is along a steep narrow road leading down from the Boulevard, which terminates at the playground car park.

 

Pedestrian entry is from the Boulevard, via the car park at the end of Irvine Rd , adjacen to the sports pavilion. This is next to Bailey's Billabong.

 

Two tracks start at the car park, both ending at the same junction. The track to the left passes the fenced Horseshoe Blllabong Reserve, over boardwalks.