Nortons Park - Wantirna South

I visited this Park on March 15, 2019

This beautiful Park boasts rolling grassed lawns that give the park a definite European feel. The land was once an orchard, and still contains a number of remnant fruit trees that burst into bloom in springtime. It is a great place to picnic with friends or, for the more energetic, work out on the cross country running track.

The area of the present Nortons Park was predominantly orchard country. It was first selected by Thomas Blood in 1868, and stayed in his family until 1936.

The park was named after the Norton family who owned land in the area for 50 years from the early 1900's. The land served as a market garden and an apple and pear orchard and at one stage was used as a water reserve for drovers moving their stock through the country.
 

The park was opened in 1981 and covers approximately 35ha featuring shaded picnic areas, open grassy lawns and a playground and was primarily developed as a recreation park. It is landscaped with exotic vegetation species which gives it a different character to other parks in the Dandenong Valley.

The park attracts various bird species such as the cattle egret, white-faced heron and the pacific black duck that forage in the grasses and near the billabong for food. The rare great egret and sacred kingfisher are also seen in the billabong and flocks of common bronze winged pigeons are sometimes seen in and around the car park vegetation.

Nortons Park is home to many exotic species of tree such as large pine trees and remnant fruit trees.
 

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