My local

Petersen park or Petersen reserve Highett is my local park. Located directly across the road from my place, I shouldn't talk it down, living so close to a park or any open space is a luxury in any ones terms. In a recent blog I wrote about my local in quite a derogatory way and now with hindsight I'm feeling a little guilty, after all its not the parks fault.

Its a pretty basic suburban park, two playing fields one for footy one for football. Whats the difference between footy and football you ask well I shouldn't have to explain and its probably unaustralian that you asked anyway!

Firstly lets talk about facilities and infrastructure, we do have a very new and quite ostentatious jungle jim/play ground compared to some I have seen, the local kids and mums seem quite content. The footy/cricket club has a recently re surfaced ground, flat and well drained, club rooms are a bit rough but serviceable so they seem happy with the status quo also. The resident soccer club cries foul and demands equal rights the same as the footy club but I think ultimately they accept their place in the park pecking order. The latest installation was a brand new automatic public toilet, self cleaning, self closing nearly self aware that knows its out of order. Unfortunately for the toilet the local vandals targeted it like the little fat kids they are usually attracted to, its a shame really it promised so much.

Now you have been introduced to the hardware let's talk about the green life. The trees and shrubs around the park are an eclectic mix of native (when I say native that typically means Sth African, New Zealand and Australian) and European, no real theme but some real gems here and there. Dotted amongst the bland old meat and potatoes park classics are some quite unusual botanical treats. Cape chestnuts, waterhousias, lilly of the valley trees and the one lone rupestris growing in complete anonymity. I think in the past someone, somewhere secretly penciled in some trees and shrubs not typically considered park fare, maybe as a private joke to see if anyone actually noticed. Also recently I noticed a single clump of dieties robinsoniana which is a native of Lord Howe island and once thought to be quite rare. ( There is only half a clump left now)

Anyway that's a little bit about my local, its serviceable and easy to maintain, it caters for all groups and interested parties, could it be better, I'm sure it could but at the end of the day it is an open space that performs a role for this community, my community.