Ferguson Conservation Park, to the east of Hallett Road, Stonyfell, is an undulating foothills park of some eight hectares in area. The Park has a natural woodland aspect and is frequented by several native bird species, particularly during the flowering of the Blue Gum which dominates the park.

Since about 1880 various owners have contributed toward the conservation of the native vegetation and associated bird life. In 1879 and 1881 Simpson Newland purchased two parcels of land which together now comprise St Peter’s Girls’ School and Fergusson Park. In 1881 he sold a portion of one [now the school] and in 1902 his son Henry Simpson Newland acquired an interest in the balance of the land, now Ferguson Park.

In 1926 Alexander Melrose became the proprietor of this land and on his death in 1944 it was his wish that his niece, Miss Alice Effie Ferguson, be offered the land. Miss Ferguson purchased the land from his estate and shortly before her death in 1949, at the suggestion of Sir Henry Simpson Newland, she gave the land to the South Australian Government ‘for the benefit of the public in perpetuity’. Some of the introduced plant species that Mr Melrose planted can still be seen in the park.

The Park was initially managed by the South Australian Government Tourist Bureau and in 1972 came under the control of the National Parks and Wildlife Service who manage the Park to control unwanted plant species and to restore and maintain the natural vegetation.

Ferguson is a typical open woodland. Eucalypts, native pines and sheoaks are dotted throughout, but it is in the shrub and understorey layers that most of its plant species are to be found. Over 145 native plant species have been recorded from the park, including 17 species of grasses, 23 species of orchids and 14 species of lilies. Spring is the best time to visit the park to see native plants in flower.

Ferguson Park has an active Friends group and is notable for being the first Friends of Parks group established in South Australia. The group has developed significant expertise in bush regeneration and weed management.

[All the information above was sourced from an article by Ken Preiss, reprinted from the Burnside Historical Society Newsletter, Vol 1, No 4 of September 1981, and from the brochure Ferguson Conservation Park Guide, published by National Parks and Wildlife SA].

Contact the Friends of Ferguson Conservation Park