Historic Antonio Park - Mitcham

An exploration of October 7, 2018

Antonio Park is seven hectares in size and includes a playground, walking trails, remnant bushland, a BBQ area and bird watching opportunities.

History - The park is named after the Antonio family who were first associated with the land in 1892. The site of their original weekend shack is now part of the Antonio Park Primary School grounds. In early 1900's the family bought what is now the main body of the park and built a permanent home in Deep Creek Road. Remnants of the garden are still present in the formal part of the Park. The family gifted the land to the former Nunawading Council in 1955, but members of the family lived there until 1963. The northern section of the park, known as the "New Lands" was purchased from Charles Schwerkolt in 1975 to replace the land sold to the Education Department for Antonio Park School.

Antonio Park is potentially a start or end point for a walk to Schwerkolt Cottage (15 minutes) or Yarran Dheran (45 minutes). The main park area is a big grassy, slightly sloping area dotted with trees. There are three shaded tables, water tap, shelter with tables, toilets and a playground. At the northern end is a narrow dirt path through the bush. If you follow this to the north-west corner and cross the road, you reach another section of the park. The bushy walking sections of the park are quite small and do not take long to traverse.