Civic Park
The history of Civic Park indicates that in the past the land had a number of commercial and industrial uses.
The land was originally owned by the A.A. Company as part of a grant made in 1847. The area was dissected by the Glebe railway line which was used by trains to haul coal from the Glebe Coal Pit to the Newcastle wharves.
In the early 1900s the land to the east of the railway line was occupied by Breckenridge's Timber Yard and to the west of the line were timber yards owned by Andrew Cook. A small parcel of land on the corner of King and Auckland Streets was occupied by P. W. Russell & Co., windmill machinery manufacturers.
After a fire in the early 1920s which destroyed the Andrew Cook Timberyards, and another in 1929 at the Breckenridge Timberyard, the land west of the railway line was resumed by the Newcastle Electric Supply Company. The land east of the railway was resumed by the Newcastle City Council.
Turning it into a public park
In 1929 the Council resolved to formulate a design scheme for the planting of a park and Mr W. Grant of the Sydney Botanic Gardens was engaged to prepare a layout for the park.
Grant recommended tree, shrub and groundcover plantings and the sowing of couch grass. Throughout the 1930s the public were prevented from accessing the park so as not to hinder the development of the grass and other plantings.
In 1937 the Park was opened to the public as a rest area, though access was not encouraged until permanent paths were provided.
When the Glebe Coal Pit closed the railway corridor reverted to the original owners, the A.A. Company. The company had no use for this strip of land and in 1958 sold it to the Newcastle City Council for a nominal sum. This area became part of the parkland.
The area east of the railway line was used for car parking until the development of the fountain.
In the 1960s the retaining wall planting along Laman Street and the construction of the Captain Cook Fountain took place. The fountain was officially opened in 1970.
In 1978 Council dedicated the area bounded by King, Darby, Laman and Auckland Streets as a public reserve known as "Civic Park".
There are a number of memorials in the park including the RAAF Memorial (1968) and the Vietnam War Memorial (1986).
The Park has been the centre for many major Newcastle events such as Mattara activities, ANZAC Day services and the public reception for the Newcastle Knights 1997 Grand final win.
