This week, Roy decided that with Australia Day upon us, he wanted to visit some place which commemorated the important events which are remembered during Australia Day celebrations. Australia Day falls on January 26th and commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia on that day in 1788. The question was, where should he visit, but when I reminded him of a fascinating memorial garden in Wallabadah, he thought this would be perfect.
If you would like to visit the First and Second Fleet Memorial Gardens, they are located in Wallabadah, not far from Qurindi. The address is the New England Highway and there is plenty to do in the general area, including parks, lookouts and of course interesting shops. Quirindi itself, which is only a short drive away, provides plenty of opportunities to explore a beautiful country town, and perhaps even pick up a picnic to enjoy in the Memorial Gardens.
The Memorial Garden in Wallabadah is the culmination of an ambitious vision of Sydney born stone mason, Ray Collins. Collins discovered, as an adult, that he had ancestors who had arrived in Australia as part of the First and Second Fleet. He became passionate about creating a memorial to the pioneering men and women who came, by choice or ‘at his majesty’s pleasure’, as part of these fleets. He first focussed on the First Fleet, researching the names and details of every single person who sailed on the 11 ships which made up the fleet. He had a vision to carve each and every one of these names onto sandstone tablets to be displayed as a memorial to these men and women. Today it is the only garden memorial to these fleets, and also reputedly the only one to name each and every member of those fleets.
One might think that a memorial dedicated to The First and Second Fleet would be found in one of Australia’s major cities, perhaps close to where the Fleets first landed, but Ray Collins sought the support of numerous councils in Australia without success. Liverpool Plains Shire Council embraced the planned garden though and sponsored the materials and equipment which would be needed to bring his ambitious plan to life. Beautiful gardens form the backdrop for the historic plaques listing the names of the people who came on the fleets, each plaque is positioned adjacent to another plaque identifying the ship which those people came on. In addition to the gardens themselves there is a lovely picnic area, shaded by sails, arranged to represent a tall ship. The Memorial Garden is now used as a meeting place for many family reunions for families who have relatives commemorated on the many beautifully carved plaques.