Tucked away in Lumley Court, just off Williams Road, Prahran and bounded by Jessamine Avenue is a park popular with apartment-dwelling locals and others like myself wishing to catch some sun, read in peaceful surrounds or entertain their children.
The park is lined with numerous native trees and shrubs and is a favourite haunt of native birds including a passing kookaburra which I noticed took up temporary residence in the trees one spring. A children's playground with miniature-sized equipment geared towards pre-schoolers was completed this year to replace the larger one my children would injure themselves upon when they were primary-school aged.
The playground often hosts weekend birthday parties and contains a see-saw with handles, curved climbing frames, bouncing equipment, a look-out tower with slide and an old-fashioned swing set; all securely enclosed by a fence and safety gates. Nearby a large expanse of lawn is often frequented by happy, yapping dogs, (off-lead), partaking in daily exercise with their owners or by energetic types playing ball games other than golf, which is not permitted according to a sign at the entrance to the park.
Other features include a well-maintained gas barbecue, taps and drinking fountains, a self-cleaning toilet block and picnic tables and seats – one of which is dedicated to a well-known resident I had the pleasure of knowing who lived across the park for many years until his death in 2006, the late, Roy Charles Breen. The sprightly octogenarian would happily chat with anyone who passed his house and would bring in his neighbours' wheelie bins or mow their lawns. Little wonder there is a plaque on the seat with the inscription, "
dearly-loved neighbour who made a difference".
