Batman Park

Batman Park is an urban park, located on the northern bank of the Yarra River in central Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Batman Park is a small open grassed space with paths and planted Eucalyptus trees bordered by Spencer Street at the west, Flinders Street Viaduct at the north and King Street to the east.The park was established in 1982 through the conversion of a disused freight train rail yard and was named after one of the founders of Melbourne, John Batman with historical associations as a landing place of the Schooner Rebecca and nearby settlement at Batman's Hill.In 1997 Batman Park was effectively split in half with the section east of King Street rebranded as Enterprize Park. Much of the land on the new park was reclaimed to recreate a historical 1850s turning basin and timber wharf with sculptures by Bruce Armstrong and Geoffrey Bartlett recalling the site's maritime history. Enterprize park also became the site of the Melbourne Aquarium.HistoryThe site was originally part of the Wurundjeri nation's territory prior to European settlement. At this time the site was part of extensive riverside wetlands. After settlement the area was used as a dumping ground for waste and discharge for sewerage and storm water, destroying the wetlands and turning the site from diverse riverside wetlands to smelly muddy swampland.