Discover the Amiens Memorial Park and Grounds
The land surrounding the Amiens Legacy Centre was once the centre of sporting and recreational activities in the village of Amiens. The land is held in trust by the Amiens History Association and includes the old cricket field and tennis courts, the site of the original Amiens Hall and an area of bushland containing significant geological and floral points of interest.
THE ENTRANCE SIGN
You can't miss the bright blue sign that announces that you've arrived at the Amiens Memorial Park and Grounds. Established in the 1920s as part of the Pikedale Soldiers' Settlement Scheme, these grounds have a long and varied sporting history.
THE MEMORIAL AVENUE
In 2018, 60 Prunus nigra trees were planted along the entrance lane to Memorial Park. During the 1950s this lane was lined with and avenue of pine trees, however these wildings are increasingly becoming a noxious plant in the Amiens bushland so it was decided to plant something that would represent the orchardists' contribution to the Amiens area.
Prunus nigra trees are an ornamental form of plum tree and were chosen for their seasonal beauty, having spring blossom and summer foliage colour which compliments the operational orchards in the surrounding areas.
AMIENS MEMORIAL HALL SITE
Driving down avenue, stop and look to your left and you will see the many stumps indicating where the Amiens Memorial Hall once stood. In its hey day, the hall served as the social hub for the families taking part in the Pikedale Soldiers' Settlement Scheme. Dinners, dances, shows, meetings, fancy dress, musicals, you name it and it would have been held at the Amiens Memorial Hall. In the 1970s the hall was moved to its new site at Storm King Dam where is serves as a recreation centre now.
THE NATURE WALK
Along the southern boundary of the Amiens Memorial Park and Grounds, you can meander through some native bushland. Dotted throughout are magnificent granite rock boulder clusters that make interesting features. This small pocket of remnant bushland contains about 200 species of native plants ranging from small, insignificant ground covers, through the different understorey layers to the eucalypts towering overhead.
THE CRICKET GROUND
Once the home of the Amiens (Returned Soldiers') Cricket Club, and subsequently the Amiens Cricket Club, the Amiens cricket ground is still a prominent feature in the Amiens township. Click here to read an interesting short story published in the Brisbane Courier on 10 Sep 1921 about how the club originally procured a cricket mat. With the ground originally being shared by the Amiens State School and the Club, many a match has been played on these hallowed grounds. Slowly these grounds are being restored and maybe, in the not too distant future, we may see a ball being tossed here again.
THE TENNIS COURTS
Similarly, once the home of the Amiens Tennis Club, the Amiens tennis courts are unfortunately a distant memory in the Amiens township. Only remnants of the club house, courts and netting remain.