Kings Domain

Kings Domain
Government House in the south-east corner of Kings Domain
Type	Public Park
Location	Melbourne, Australia
Coordinates	37°49′42″S 144°58′39″E / 37.8282598°S 144.9775815°E / -37.8282598; 144.9775815Coordinates: 37°49′42″S 144°58′39″E / 37.8282598°S 144.9775815°E / -37.8282598; 144.9775815
Area	36 hectares
Opened	1854
Status	Open
Paths	Sealed
Terrain	Undulating hills, Riverbank
Water	Yarra River
Vegetation	Australian Native, Lawns, Non-native traditional gardens
Connecting transport	Tram, Bus, Car
Landmarks	Yarra River, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Shrine of Remembrance, Government House, Indigenous Remains Memorial, Various statues
Facilities	Toilets, Shelters, Seating

Kings Domain is an area of parklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It surrounds Government House Reserve, the home of the Governors of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and the Shrine Reserve incorporating the Shrine of Remembrance.

The park was established in 1854, extending the Domain Parklands further north-west, it covers an area of 36 hectares of lawns and pathways set among non-native and native Australian mature trees, a mixture of deciduous and evergreens. In the 19th century the Kings Domain was managed by the Director of the Botanic Gardens, so many of the trees were planted by Baron Ferdinand von Mueller and later by William Guilfoyle. Around the Domain are scattered memorial statues and sculptures, each with their own story.

Kings Domain is part of a larger group of parklands directly south-east of the city, between St. Kilda Road and the Yarra River known as the Domain Parklands, which includes;

A memorial to Sir John Monash, as Commander in Chief of the Australian Forces during World War I, is commemorated in a bronze equestrian statue created by William Leslie Bowles. It was unveiled by the Governor-General, William McKell, on 12 November 1950.

The statue is a result of a public subscription and was unveiled on 15 June 1911, by his Excellency Sir John Fuller, accompanied by Prime Minister, Billy Hughes.

In March 2006, during the Commonwealth Games, an Aboriginal activist group calling itself "Black GST" (Genocide, Sovereignty, Treaty) set up a campsite there in protest against Aboriginal living conditions and the absence of a treaty between the original indigenous inhabitants of the area and the present Government. On 11 April 2006, they were granted a further 30 days to keep their fire going, despite a Supreme Court order that they remove their tents by 2pm on 13 April 2006. The aboriginal protesters have since removed their tents, but are now sleeping in a dilapidated caravan parked in an all day car park. The Melbourne City Council has since started fining them $50 per day for overstaying the time limit. Protection (under a Court order) for the fire expired on 10 May 2006 and shortly after midnight on that date, council workers extinguished it.