Manning Park

Child Places

• 00533 Manning Estate, Hamilton Hill

Statement of Significance

Manning Park has high social significance as a place of both active and passive recreation.
Manning Park has high significance for its association with the Manning family.
Manning Park contains the Azelia Ley Homestead, the Davilak Ruins, and evidence of an earlier residence. The latter two places have significance as archaeological sites which have the potential to illustrate early European settlement in the area.

Physical Description

Manning Park is the location of Azelia Ley Homestead, the site of the former Manning Homestead (Davilak House), some original tuart trees and Davilak Lake. The lake is surrounded by manicured lawns and many old trees, including some magnificent examples of tuart trees.
The park also contains Azelia Ley Homestead (see separate entry), Davilak Ruins and evidence of an earlier residence. Davilak Ruins comprises an extensive set of stone ruins being the remains of a fourteen room homestead, outbuildings, gardens, paddocks and stock pool covering an area approximately 160 metres long in a east west direction and 100 metres long north south.
The homestead walls are 40 cm thick with those for the outbuildings being 30 to 35 cm thick except for where the wall is also a retaining wall. Remaining wall height varies across the site with walls from 40 cm to over 4 metres. Few walls retain their original height and there are no structural timber elements left on site.
The Davilak ruins complex also contains exotic trees and plants including an olive tree, Cape Lilac, apricot tree and numerous fir trees which appear to be of an age to be original homestead stock. The other exotic plants are likely to be the wild descendants of homestead plants. They include Cape Lilacs, Japanese Parrot trees, Angelica, Cottage Gladioli, Agaves, Geraniums, Narrow Leaved Swan Plant, Plumbago and a young Olive tree.
Manning Park attracts a large number of visitors, and includes barbecue facilities and playground equipment.

History

Manning Park was named after a prominent citizen of Cockburn in the early 19th century, Lucius Manning. The Manning family developed a large estate with two homes around the lake which was once known as Davilak (now Manning). The Aboriginal name for the lake was Dgilgie's Lake which was changed to Devil's Lake by Manning. The Aborigines then pronounced it Davilak. Close to the park is one of the houses built by Manning for his daughter, Azelia Ley. It remains as a museum for the district.
There is archaeological evidence of the first Manning homestead constructed on the site (c.1850s), which is located to the north of the lake.
Davilak House and surrounding complex of outbuildings was built by convict labour around 1866. The building and its outbuildings were abandoned after 1946 and burnt down in the late 1950s.
The vegetation around Manning Lake consists of swamp paper bark and some large tuart trees. There are not many of these stands of trees left in Cockburn. The lake is currently recognised for its value for recreation and leisure pursuits. The banks are cleared and some landscaping has taken place around the natural trees. Children's play equipment attracts families to the setting.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.