Royal Park, Melbourne

The values of Royal Park are multi-faceted, as a place of importance to the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin, and also to a diverse and broad range of communities who use and enjoy the park.

The City of Melbourne commissioned GML to prepare a conservation management plan (CMP) for Royal Park, integrating Aboriginal cultural values. Inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register in 2014 and a renewal of the Royal Park Master Plan were catalysts for the CMP. A CMP had not previously been prepared for Royal Park, and nor had an assessment of its Aboriginal cultural values previously been undertaken. The CMP provided a key hertiage framework that informed the development of the refreshed Master Plan for the park.

Development of the CMP involved in-depth historical research, detailed site investigation and analysis, and was finalised in consultation with the Registered Aboriginal Party for Royal Park (Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation).  A wider group of stakeholders was also engaged with on the project.

The research, consultation and analysis for this CMP has clarified our understanding of aspects of the park’s historical and physical context in relation to its Aboriginal history (before and after British colonisation), its post-contact history (including use), and its distinctive landscape character and aesthetic qualities as a designed landscape.

Policies were developed for managing and conserving Royal Park so that its identified Aboriginal cultural values and heritage significance are respected, protected, supported and maintained in an integrated way.

The Murrup Biik – Royal Park Master Plan has undergone community consultation. The City of Melbourne presented the final master plan to the Future Melbourne Committee in August 2026 where it was endorsed with minor changes by Council. The final master plan will be published shortly.