Fitzroy Gardens, Urban park in East Melbourne, Australia

Fitzroy Gardens is a 26-hectare park in East Melbourne whose straight, grey-paved paths run between rows of very tall trees with dark, thick trunks and dense green canopies that meet overhead. Elm avenues were planted along the walks, and a single walker is often seen on the path in the middle distance.

Fitzroy Gardens was permanently reserved as a public garden in 1848, known as Fitzroy Square until 1862 and named after Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, governor of New South Wales. James Sinclair became head gardener in 1857 and worked there until his death in 1881. From 1860 Clement Hodgkinson planned the grounds, and over the next fifteen years a network of paths, the band pavilion, Sinclair's Cottage, a Tudor-style gatekeeper's lodge and the Neo-classical rotunda were completed.

The scarred tree carries a plaque explaining that the scar was made when Aboriginal people removed bark to make canoes, shields, food and water containers, string and baby carriers. It asks visitors to respect the site, important to the Wurundjeri as traditional custodians.

Entry is available from multiple points along Wellington Parade and Lansdowne Street, with a visitor center and cafe within the grounds. The flat terrain makes it easy to walk different routes at your own pace.

The Model Tudor Village built in the 1940s features tiny English Tudor buildings with detailed architectural work scattered throughout the park. This miniature reproduction offers a playful contrast against the natural surroundings.