AQUA FLORA PARK
A recent FB post jogged my memory about this gem of a park.
It opened in the Sydney suburb of Rockdale in 1931, was privately owned and covered 3 acres.
As a country kid it was a must see attraction when visiting an Aunt nearby.
Mind you, part of the attraction was just getting there - we rode a trolley bus to the site!
The park itself was like a jungle to my childish eyes. There were orchids and sub tropical plants everywhere - even in many of the enclosures. The animal content was heavy on birds but the park also featured monkeys - the first I had ever seen. Can't remember what species though - it was over 70 years ago now. There were also many Aussie species like small macropods, possums and the like. A stand out for me was a planted aviary, with the rear wall painted like a jungle, and featuring a number of Diamond Pythons. In those days, to a bush kid, the "only good snake was a dead snake" but that display opened my eyes to other possibilities. It was ahead of it's time. I also have vague memories of very large pythons - maybe Burmese or Retics.
I'd never seen an aquarium in those days either but this park featured heaps of fish - both in ponds and in tanks.
Unfortunately the park closed in 1956 and the land is now wall to wall houses except for a small portion which has been retained by the Council as open parkland and named Aqua Flora Park.
