BEACON HILL PARK

Beacon Hill Park is the largest park in the City of Victoria at 75 hectares. Pleasant and well shaded, the park, with its few fountains, gardens and sports facilities, is popular with locals and visitors alike. One likes to walk and stroll in the middle of these well-kept spaces. On Thursday evenings, you can attend Scottish dance classes. Occasionally there are events such as outdoor concerts. On a clear day, you can see Mount Olympic in the United States, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. People come to Beacon Hill Park to play their favourite sport on the cricket, baseball, tennis or golf course. If you come with your children, they can choose between the two large playgrounds or go animal watching at the Petting Zoo. The Rose Garden is home to 150 rose bushes, which can be discovered in bloom in springtime.

The Story Pole totem pole is undoubtedly the star of the park, erected on June 30, 1956, which majestically dominates the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was sculpted by a team led by Mungo Martin, Kwakiutl tribal chief and renowned sculptor. In 2011 is the time for renovation. The City of Victoria worked in partnership with First Nations artists Jonathan Livingston and Calvin Hunt to clean and repaint the aging Story Pole totem pole. The totem pole remained standing while the work was carried out on scaffolding up to 37 metres high.