MacCabe Park is a small

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

located in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is commonly misspelt McCabe Park, though the sign has since been changed to its correct name. In 1855, a land grant was made to Governor Brown, the present site of the park. Nike by Ken Unsworth

It contains a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

at the north east corner of the rectangular area covered by the park, the local

youth centre A youth center or youth centre, often called youth club, is a place where young people can meet and participate in a variety of activities, for example table football, association football (US soccer, UK football), basketball, table tennis, vid ...

is in the north west side, and a

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

called "Nike" is found in this area amidst a garden area. The youth centre has a small skating area and sometimes ramps and kickers are brought out, with a small number of fastened ramps present. The centre's walls are covered with graffiti and murals. A small strip of native plants and trees is present on the edge of the skating area. The northeastern area features a council operated art gallery and a war memorial, featuring a planted area and a canon. The west part of the park area features shops like Dick Smith bordering a narrow

walkway In American English, walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. '' The New Oxford American Dictionary'' also defines a walkway as "a passage or path for walking along, esp. ...

underneath and between

climbing plants A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Dayd ...

. In the gaps between shops palm trees have been planted. Paths are present in the park and most of it is lawn grass. The southern end contains a man-made hillock with a smaller peak to its northern end and a larger slightly higher one at its southern end, with a circular

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

of brick. In the southeastern and northwestern parts of the park are covered paths. In the eastern area is a community hall and carpark. The hall features a mural depicting a famous scene from E.T. The park area is surrounded by streets, the east side borders Church Street, Wollongong, the west side borders Keira Street, the north borders Burelli Street, and the southern end borders Ellen Street. The park is located in the southern part of Wollongong's central business district, only two blocks from

Wollongong Central Wollongong Central is a large shopping centre in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. History Whilst Wollongong Central today is one complete shopping centre, it was originally two separate and distinct shopping centres. Crown Central shoppi ...

and Wollongong Mall. Plants in the park include palms, a few native

eucalypt Eucalypt is any woody plant with Capsule (fruit), capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

s, grass plants, small grey leafed shrubs and a small planting of

casuarina ''Casuarina'', also known as she-oak, Australian pine and native pine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Casuarinaceae, and is native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and e ...

s south of the amphitheatre.

Wollongong City Council The City of Wollongong is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the Tasman Sea, the Princes Motorway and the Illawarra railway line. Located south of Sydney, the City of ...

has had a policy in place since 1990 to purchase the commercial properties surrounding the park as they become available. Eventually, these commercial buildings will be demolished to expand the public open space.

References

{{Coord, -34.4318, 150.8929, format=dms, type:landmark_region:AU-NSW, display=title Wollongong Urban public parks Parks in New South Wales