HISTORICAL
Present
day Churchill Park Drive extends from Bergin's Rd (Rowville), to the Hallam North Rd (Endeavour Hills), 6.6
km.
It passes
the Main Gates of the Park, the Police Paddocks Reserve, the roundabout to Power Rd, and the Churchill Park Golf Course,
following the lower contour of the Lysterfield Hills, reaching a maximum 85 m above sea level.
Residential development has occurred on both sides of the road easterly
from the Golf Course.
As described elsewhere, the Park was officially reserved in 1939 and proclaimed in 1941 as the Dandenong
National Park, renamed as the Churchill National Park in 1944. For a short time it was locally known as "Dandenong Park"
Pre-1940
A woodcutter's
track existed on the present-day alignment of Churchill Park Drive, from Bergin's Rd to the main entrance. This was subsequently
subsumed by Boundary Rd in 1948.
1943
A road was built
by the Military through the Park, extending from the corner of Stud and Wellington Rds to the present-day Main Entrance to
the Park. This is Army Track, its eastern end is now used as the driveway into the Park. The western end
is gated between the end of the picnic area and Bergin's Rd, for Fire Management and Walking.
1948
A new road was built linking
Bergins Rd with the Park.This was a lower level road which followed the southern boundary of the park, and continued on to
the western end of the old road from Hallam.
This was
simply named "Boundary Rd"! The route was originally surveyed in the early 1860s. It had been proposed at that time
that all unused roadways in the Park be closed.
1962
The road was regraded, realigned and widened, in preparation for the 7th Australian Scout Jamboree held
Dec 64-Jan 65 in the Police Paddocks area. The Section of the road from Bergins Rd to the Park entrance was renamed as Bradfield Rd, in recognition of the Second Australian Scout Jamboree held at Bradfield (Sydney) in 1939.
Power Rd was extended to link with Churchill Park Drive.
1968
A section of the
road between the eastern end of the Park and Hallam Rd North was renamed "Walker Road". This was subsequently renamed to the
original Boundary Rd in 1969! Walker was a landowner in the 1880s, holding property either side
of present-day Churchill Park Drive.
1978
Boundary Rd was renamed as Churchill Park Drive
1980s
The section of the road between Police Rd and the entrance
to the Churchill Park Golf Course was regraded. The road was actually raised, which is the reason why the pedestrian entrances
to the gated roadways known as Frankston Drive and Baden Powell Drive are much lower than Churchill Park Drive
