Banjo Paterson Memorial Park

On the original site of Banjo Patersons birth or close to it... Cottage has been moved to Orange Botanic Gardens

great little park for a picnic , just out of town

New BBQ's have been put in. No public toilets yet.

I remember years ago as a young man, I served in Vietnam. It was gruelling, the stench of death and agent orange in the jungle overwhelming and the sound of helicopters overhead deafening. Days became weeks and weeks became months. I lost 22 pounds from the constant diarrhoea and the sound of those harrowing cries have been permanently etched onto my brain. And then, eight months into my tour, on the 2nd of February, 1968, my best friend was gunned down by the Viet Cong. He died in my arms, aged 23, survived by his wife and two young daughters.The emotions I felt that day were nothing compared to the sensation of entering the Banjo Patterson Memorial Park.Upon entry, the first thing you notice is the famous Banjo-seat. Wow. What a majestic sight. Upon traversing the hill to reach its beautiful frame, one is put at awe upon pressing the button which recounted several facts about the great man’s life. One could spend a lifetime upon that chair and never tire of those stories. That's certainly how I felt as I spent three full days there.Further into the park, a good 120 metres from the seat (a very smart move on the council’s behalf to avoid crowding) is the goblin-sized statue of the great man from Snowy River himself. His tousled hair eliciting a feeling within me I hadn’t felt since I was married years ago. My ex-wife left me because what she called “my obsession with BP”. I hope she’s dead.Nearby the statue, is what I would refer to as the pièce de résistance of the park, is a wheelie bin. Now the Orange council has obviously lined this bin with blue bin bags as an homage to “As Long As Your Eyes Are Blue.” A real delight for a Banjo-ite like myself.Now if you’re thinking about stopping for breakfast, lunch or dinner or simply a tub of garlic dip and some bread, you could not have picked a more ideal place. I enjoyed a nice sandwich on a beautiful bench next to a great tree fairly deeply into the park, where one could imagine that shouts for help would go unheard.So, if you’re looking for a quiet place to have your next Bar Mitzvah, baby shower or simply just a G&T and a durry, the Banjo Patterson Memorial Park is simply unparalleled.#best

Not bad now with the upgrades

upon arrival at the glorious Banjo Patterson Memorial Park, I felt a sense of deep inner peace, as though Banjo's beautiful poetry was filling my soul.Ever since the death of my BFF <3 in the war of the worlds(that movie against the martians) I have always felt a deep hole in my heart.BP park was like the cement that I could pour in this deep wound.I feel as though banjo's spirit has entered my body and has spoken to me. he told me to tell you a message:THE END IS COMING!

Nice spot. Sit and listen to the story by the metal seats.

Upon arrival at the Banjo Patterson Park, I was greeted by a flow of memories. They came somewhere from inside myself, as an Orange local but I can credit most of this feeling to the beauty of the park and its monuments.Thanks to the soothing voice coming from the Banjo Patterson seat, I felt emotions that I hadn't experienced in years. This seat is a work of art that evokes such strong desire, it took everything in my power not to overpower my companion and place my lips upon theirs.After finally getting hold of my emotions, we sat and had a lovely picnic lunch on one of the extremely well placed picnic benches. The council has gone above and beyond to find the optimal place for a well shaded lunch for all.I would like to credit the Orange council further for their mindfulness on the layout of the park. To avoid congestion they have thoughtfully created a loop drive, so that everyone can leave at their own ease and grace.I feel a great sense of pride to call my self an Orange local after seeing this park and knowing it is at the top of our councils priorities.Will visit again and again.

There is a couple of things to look at here. At the road side is a stone memorial from the 1940s. Further down is a new sculpture with an audio recordings and some seats. Further down again is a bronze bust of Banjo. Also the foundation of the flour mill are visible in the paddock. You need at least 30 minutes to have a good look around.

We loved the site and the historic info displayed. But, we didn’t have to go too far out of our way to get there.