Friends’ Park
There’s an old
burial ground behind a bus stop on Melifont Street in West Hobart.
The
headstones are still there. They form part of the wall of what is now a park.
Headstones of Quakers, the land was bought in 1836 by the society of Friends
and around 60 people were buried there. It was decommissioned in 1912 and
fourteen years later it became a children’s
playground.
And that’s what it is
now, and a leafy green oasis in the suburbs, a short walk from NoHo’s Elizabeth
Street.
There’s history
and there’s
play equipment: a swing that can accommodate my hips and one that acts like a
child restraint. No adult could squeeze into it and last more than a couple of
pushes.
There are
seats in the sun and in the shade. You can lie on the grass and loll about.
But the
absolute best thing about this park, which might just make it the best park in
the whole of Hobart, is a sculpture made by Roland Gabatel in 2000.
Carved out
of a dead cypress pine, four angels emerge, releasing birds to the sky.
The
sculpture is monumental and unassuming. Easily missed driving the back way from
West Hobart to Lenah Valley. But if you stop and get out of your car and walk
into the park, the image is astounding and enlivening. It’s respectful
to the history of the place but it is also tremendously optimistic and
transcendent. When I love and it I feel so hopeful. It symbolises freedom and opportunity.
It might just be the most beautiful piece of public art in Hobart.
I love that
this beautiful sculpture is tucked away in a small space in West Hobart. It’s one of the
things I love most about Hobart. Go spend some time under those angels and be
transformed.
Here’s a little
more information about Mr Gabatel in Chisel 2006.
Mr Gabatel
is responsible for the carved busts in the Savoy Baths.
If you’re looking
for coffee or something to eat after your visit, try Providence café. Goodness
that’s
prophetic isn’t
it? And it’s
just down the road.
