Tag: Oriel Park

Hop Into Easter Fun with Peter Rabbit at Oriel Park

Looking for a fun and festive way to celebrate Easter with the family? Mark your calendars this April as Oriel Park in Ascot transforms into a wonderland of Easter excitement!

Read: Oriel Park: Tracing the Evolution of Ascot’s Historic Public Space

On Thursday, 17 April 2025, From 4:00 p.m., enjoy an afternoon packed with free activities for kids, leading up to a special outdoor screening of Peter Rabbit at 7:00 p.m. Bring a picnic rug, settle in under the stars, and watch everyone’s favourite mischievous bunny on the big screen!

The film tells the story of Peter Rabbit and his three sisters—Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-Tail—who love spending their time in Mr McGregor’s vegetable garden. When a relative of McGregor unexpectedly moves in, he is not pleased to find a group of rabbits living on his property. A fierce rivalry soon begins as the new owner devises various plans to remove Peter, but the clever and determined rabbit proves to be a formidable adversary.

What’s On?

easter
Photo credit: George Dolgikh/Pexels

  • Free Face Painting – Get into the Easter spirit with colourful designs!
  • Free Easter Egg Hunt – Search for hidden chocolate treats!
  • Free Jumping Castle – Bounce the afternoon away!
  • Free Easter Art & Craft – Unleash your creativity!
  • Food Trucks – Grab a tasty bite while you enjoy the fun!

This free outdoor movie showing in Ascot is proudly supported by the Lord Mayor’s Community Fund, which aims to support community projects that build stronger communities. This is a perfect opportunity to relax, enjoy a movie, and make special Easter memories with family and friends.

Read: Street Spotlight: Kidston Street, Ascot

What: Easter Movie in the Park

Where: Oriel Park, Ascot

When: Thursday 17 April 2025, from 4:00 p.m. (movie starts at 7:00 p.m.)

Don’t miss this egg-citing evening of fun!

Published 24-March-2025

Oriel Park: Tracing the Evolution of Ascot’s Historic Public Space

Ascot’s Oriel Park is a place rife with history, dating back to the early 20th century. It wasn’t always a park, however. 

Read: St Margaret’s Principal Named One of Queensland’s Most Influential Educators

Many might frequent Oriel Park without knowing its story, instead seeing it as the go-to area for instances where they wish to exercise or walk their dogs, or perhaps to distract their kids for a little while in order to get some much-needed coffee and rest. Though the park has its fair share of facilities, this hasn’t always been the case. 

Hamilton Clayfield Girl Guides HQ

In the early 20th century, the park — only recently dubbed as such — served as the headquarters for the Hamilton Clayfield Girl Guide Group, which meant it had strong, long-standing ties with the Girl Guide Association of Queensland. Over the years, facilities would be built into the park to accommodate its visitors and frequent guests, and the halls and huts utilized by guides and scouts are among them. 

Photo credit: Heritage Places

Water Reserve

In 1888, before Oriel Park’s facilities were even established, it was dubbed as a Water Reserve by the Surveyor’s General Office. Before its repurposing, the playground that currently stands in Oriel Park was once a bountiful waterhole which was used for road watering purposes in 1912.

Pre-1969

The houses that surrounded the area were resumed between 1959 and 1968 to form the park’s current boundaries, however it was once significantly larger. The site once contained open spaces that stretched to Alexandra Road, which also harbored the local tramline up until 1969. Oriel Park once had tennis courts all the way to Wren Street; and facing that was a series of private residences. 

Read: Preliminary Design of New Albion Station Hub Revealed to Brisbane Community

Oriel Today

In modern times, the water reserve was repurposed and reinvented into becoming a recreational park for public use, where people are free to relax and interact with one another through sports, picnics, and leisurely strolls through the area. It was officially dubbed a recreational reserve in 1937, and has become a community hub ever since.

Originally published as “The Bountiful History Of Ascot’s Famous Oriel Park”

Published 6-Oct-2024