Veale Gardens

Veale Gardens is part of the Adelaide Parklands throughout and surrounding the City of Adelaide, and is located in the South Parklands surrounded by Greenhill and Peacock Roads, South Terrace, and Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue. The gardens can be entered by entrances on South Terrace.

Veale Gardens is named after William Charles Douglas Veale, who was Adelaide's Town Clerk from the period January 1947 to November 1965. [cite web|url=http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/archives/pdf/Park%20Lands.pdf|title=Parklands: Source Sheet No. 23|accessdate=2006-10-01|work=Adelaide City Council Archives]

Featuring a garden of roses with over 50 varieties of rose on display, the gardens include two rose beds containing the City of Adelaide rose, located at the South Terrace entrance, and Queen Adelaide rose, located at the corner of South Terrace and Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue.

There are many walks through the parks taking you through gardens of water features, past the greenhouse, and through more lush shady areas.

The gardens are also home to the Adelaide Pavilion restaurant and function centre, and is a popular location for weddings and wedding photography shoots.

Meeting place

Veale Gardens has been historically known as a homosexual meeting place for a number of years. There has been much debate over the years to either better police Veale Gardens or to close it during the evenings completely. Consequently, in late 2006 the public toilets were bulldozed and new toilets built on the South Terrace frontage. In 2007 the park entrance off Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue was closed and the street returned to park land to reduce late night parking.

Crimes

11 May 1993 - Alan George Edward Lampard (32) was found murdered in the parklands, believed to be a gay hate crime. Lampard was killed after being bashed on the head. His body was recovered from a pond.

8 December 2004 - A passer-by discovered the murdered body of 36 year old Robert Woodland in the long grassy areas of the gardens, who had died as a result of being assaulted. Woodland was one of two men who had informed Parliament Speaker Peter Lewis of the activities of a serving politician who allegedly frequented Veale Gardens, participating in an alleged Adelaide paedophile sex ring during the 1980s and 1990s.

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