35-16 Central area for sports fields in Victoria Park

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Dog off-leash area

The central area of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi is also a popular off-leash dog walking area. But canine association with Victoria Park has not always been so genteel.

Back in the 1800's “coursing” matches were held here. Coursing was the practice of having a dog chase a live animal. Sometimes the animal was a rabbit but in 1887 quite a crowd was on hand for a show that was staged as part of a day of horse racing.

A pack of muzzled greyhounds was set upon a tame kangaroo in an enclosure. The crowd on this occasion expressed disgust with the spectacle.

Model Aircraft

The area south of the 'green corridor' is one of only two areas in the Adelaide Park Lands where (during daylight hours) the flying of model aircraft and drones for ‘recreational’ purposes is permitted,

If there are any public events or organised sports being held in the central area of the Park, then recreational model aircraft must be restricted further south, past the dirt trail.

In October 2015, something on a much larger scale swooped down on Victoria Park. A light Cessna plane which was carrying skydivers competing in the Adelaide Masters Games, made an emergency landing after experiencing engine troubles.

Two of the skydivers were thrown from the plane but everyone on board survived.

The plane was later found to have run out of fuel.

From this point, walk south-west towards the centre of the Park where a large river red gum tree stands alone in a grassy area behind a post-and-wire fence.