With the assistance our our excellent state library here is some of the history of Flagstaff Park:
Here is the part where our government promises open space for all territorians:
Chief Minister Clare Martin and Lands and Planning Minister Kon Vatskalis today announced Lot 5180 will not be developed. Instead, it will be handed back to the people as a public park.
“Darwin and Northern Territory Force” / Robert J. Rayner, 2001
Has many references to troops stationed at “Flagstaff Hill”
Territory Stories:
Troops stationed from the 70 AASL Battery (Anti-Aircraft Search Light Battery) at “Flagstaff Hill” and “Flagstaff”
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/74601
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/73532
Development of Myilly Point / Flagstaff Hill/Park
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/137424
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/137448
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/137551
Media Releases:
Clare Martin
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/80004
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/83797
Chris Burns
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/78098
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/80807
Article – Northern Territory News:
23/02/2003 – “Myilly is People’s Park”
Section: Magazine, pg. 011
“A PROMISE to keep a prime piece of Territory real estate for Territorians has finally been kept after 80 years of controversy. SUELLEN HINDE reports THE much-sought after 1.83 hectare Flagstaff Park — on the headland at Myilly Point in Darwin with 180 degree harbour views — is now the people’s park.
Secured by the Labor Government as open space for the enjoyment of all Territorians, Chief Minister Clare Martin and Lands and Planning Minister Kon Vatskalis announced earlier this month lot 5180 — the most valuable land in Darwin — would not be developed and instead zoned open space. The park — with an estimated land value of $6 million — has been handed to Darwin City Council for public use.
Historian Barbara James says the decision is a long time coming. ”When Goyder and his team of surveyors originally surveyed and laid out plans for Darwin in 1869, they set aside various areas for parkland and the Myilly point area was one of them,” Mrs James said. ”But in 1913 the administrator at the time, John Gilruth, decided the area would be used for 16 residences to house public servants and that’s when the controversy began.”
Noreen Brown, wife of former Darwin Lord Mayor George Brown who passed away last year, says George would be looking down and smiling over the Flagstaff Park decision.
Mrs Brown said George was a strong advocate for public parks. ”He liked open space and wanted to keep parks, particularly this one, because he felt it should be for the use of all Darwin people,” Mrs Brown said. ”He felt everyone should have access to things on the coast, a green belt near the water, otherwise people would not have access as land like this can only be purchased by the wealthy. ”We used to cycle here a lot and have breakfast,” Mrs Brown said of her late husband. ”And we would notice other people would also come with their children who could run wild and play.
”There are a lot of kids who live in units in Darwin and they need places to come and fly kites and ride bikes. ”In days gone by places always had the village common or the village green where people could go and do their own thing.” Territory historian Barbara James said before the area was originally surveyed it was naturally an Aboriginal area known as ‘Myilly’ meaning stoney place.
Controversy over development of the land began when the Commonwealth took control of the NT in 1912. ”John Gilruth, the administrator who was eventually run out of town, decided to build senior public service housing at Myilly Point. ”There was a big outcry in Darwin and in Adelaide and it went on for quite a while but in the end, they built the houses.” The houses that were built, leading up to Flagstaff Park but not on it, were ”really big houses with a central room and verandahs all the way around”.
Protests over Gilruth’s decision were noted in publications at the time. Articles appeared in The Advertiser, Adelaide in 1913 and the NT Times Gazette. An article in The Advertiser stated — ”No one seems to have noted that the town is in danger of losing its chief park and absolutely the best area within the boundary of the council for a people’s park. ”The awakening has come now, however, and much indignation expressed on all hands at the action of the Administrator, and protests are being lodged together with requests that all work on the park be stopped.”
”That debate, the same we argued in the 80s when (former Chief Minister Paul) Everingham wanted to build a casino, was raging then,” Mrs James said. But the houses stayed. The Flagstaff area was declared a defence area in 1919.
In 1932 Flagstaff House was built — known colloquially as the commandant’s house — as the official residence of the Territory’s senior army officer. The site can still be seen today with concrete blocks in the centre of the park. More senior public servant housing was built at what is now know as Burnett and Mines House in 1938. Several of the public servants houses along Myilly Point were severely damaged when the Japanese bombed Darwin in WWII.
Flagstaff House and what was left of the public servants’ houses were destroyed in Cyclone Tracy. Mrs James said more houses were built. ”Christchurch Cathedral had a rectory there and judges house were built but those houses got knocked down by Everingham in 1983 when he decided to build the second casino,” she said. ”He cleared the land after compulsorily aquiring it with the intention of developing and it was absolutely scandalous and upset so many people.” Mrs James said the decision to make Flagstaff Park a people’s park has now ended 80 years of controversy. ”All along the planners were recommending it be a people’s park,” she said.
”In 1941 McGuinness was here to replan Darwin, because at that stage they didn’t know it would get bombed, and he also said in his report that the Flagstaff House area should be a people’s park, so all that time later, even though it was prime land, the planners were still recommending it be a people’s park,” she said.”