Lissner Park is the largest and oldest park in Charters Towers. It began its life as a recreational reserve, and in the 1880s a committee of citizens began a push to develop it into 'the lungs of Charters Towers', to give residents a green, cool retreat from the dusty, noisy mines of the city.
The park was named after Isidore Lissner, a beloved local MP who was one of the main advocates for the creation of the park, along with Thadeus O'Kane, editor of The Northern Miner newspaper.
Lissner Park really began to take shape in 1889 with the appointment of its first gardener, Alfred Powell. Walkways were created and shade trees planted, although many of the first plantings were lost to the dry, hot conditions. Wandering goats and kangaroos probably didn't help either!
The Band Rotunda was added in 1902 and open-air concerts soon became a favourite pastime for the town. There was also a cricket pitch, ant-bed tennis courts and a wildlife enclosure which contained emus, kangaroos, deer, swans and echidnas.
After Alfred Powell's death in 1904, George Johnson was appointed as curator of Lissner Park. He lived in the gardener's cottage within the park with his wife and five children, which was situated where the Council Facilities office stands today.
George Johnson was a keen horticulturalist, and visitors came from all around to marvel at his lush ferns and begonias in his greenhouse, and he travelled all over north Queensland to gather new specimens to plant in the park. Huge shady fig trees and towering palms made Lissner Park famous for its beauty, and he and his team worked hard to keep the park green and watered. Early on, water was carted by hand, but later aided by reticulated water.
Johnson was curator until 1924, until he moved to Townsville, taking over the Botanical Gardens there. Meanwhile, Lissner Park had become a favourite meeting and recreation space, used for Sunday School picnics, festivals, fetes, political rallies, sports, concerts and military parades.
The beautiful Boer War Memorial Kiosk was constructed in 1910 and became a centre point for many of these celebrations. It is still standing and is one of the few remaining structures of its kind in Australia.
Lissner Park continues to be the green heart of Charters Towers, fortunately retaining many of its original features.