Narrows Interchange Park
David Carr Memorial Park and John Oldham Park are nestled within the tangle of freeway on and off ramps at the foot of Mt Eliza (Kings Park) that comprise the Narrow Interchange. Created between 1973 and 1988, the two parks were originally known as Narrows Interchange Park and amazingly are Heritage Listed. The parks are linked to each other by a walkway under the Narrows Bridge, and to Elizabeth Quay by an extension of that pathway alongside Perth Water. They feature walking and cycle paths, a waterfall, lakes, plenty of seating, playground, BBQs, toilets, exercise station and more.
Much of the parkland is surrounded by a nature reserve with a lake and waterfalls, the car park is relatively small and is paid parking, but once you cross over the bridge there is a playground and open space where kids can run around.
David Carr Memorial Park honours one of Perth's most respected sons, a world champion masters athlete who, since the age of 65, has broken 11 Australian and four world records for distances from 400 to 10,000 metres.
John Oldham Park, nestled around the freeway interchange on Mounts Bay, was part of landscape architect John Oldham's 1960s vision for a series of botanic gardens encircling Perth Water from the University of WA around the riverfront to the South Perth Zoo. Oldham was one of the first landscape architects in Perth and he was initially not interested in being involved in the freeway interchange, but he came onboard to produce a landscape scheme that would at least try and soften it. He was promised that if he got involved in the freeway interchange other things would happen, but the park named in his honour is the only part of the vast urban forest he envisaged to become a reality.
Location: Mounts Bay Road, Perth.
