The name comes from two beacons on aptly named Beacon Hill that helped sailors navigate through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In 1859, a tussle broke out between the Hudson Bay Company and the Crown in London as to whom this stretch of prime real estate belonged. The Crown won, and for a time, the land belonged to Her Majesty the Queen. In 1862, the City of Victoria was founded, but Beacon Hill Park was not included in the deal until 1882. Over the years, the park shrank from its original 220 acres to the present 154. Parts of it were sold off, and a 30-acre chunk in the northeast was paved over, becoming the pricey Fairfield neighborhood.
Beacon Hill Park fronts the Strait of Juan de Fuca, offering eye-popping water views from along Dallas Road on its southern end. Douglas Street frames the west, which also is the western terminus of the Trans Canada Highway. The mile “0” marker sits at the corner of Douglas Street and Dallas Road. West of Douglas Street is trendy James Bay, filled with Victorian and Edwardian homes, most meticulously renovated in period style. The posh Fairfield neighborhood fronts the east and northern borders. Government House, the official residence of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia, is in Fairfield, with its gardens open to the public.
A treasured feature in the park since 1985, Beacon Hill Children’s Farm gives kids a taste of country life in the midst of genteel Victoria. Donations, used to operate the facility, are requested, but no family is turned away because of lack of funds. Miniature ponies, donkeys, llamas and pigmy goats are just some of the animals that live at the farm. Noisy peacocks strut their stuff, perhaps competing with the roosters that similarly welcome the dawn. The popular goat stampedes are held twice daily, weather permitting. Imagine the squeals as a herd of energetic goats race to the barn in search of a meal. The farm is at Cycle Drive and Beacon Hill Loop. Parking is available across from the entrance.
Victoria often is referred to as the city of flowers, much to the envy of most parts of Canada. Beacon Hill Park welcomes spring with its own riot of flowers surrounding ponds filled with water lilies and spouting fountains. Fountain and Goodacre Lakes are the largest bodies of water, attracting migrating birds and the ever-present peacocks. Great blue herons nest in the Douglas fir trees on the southwestern end of the park, usually resulting in a pair of bald eagles nesting nearby. Parts of the park have been left in their natural states, including some decent-sized hills. It doesn’t usually snow enough in Victoria for a toboggan run, but when it happens, kids flock to the park for a ride on the white stuff. The Watering Garden, a recent addition taking the place of an old wading pool, is a splash park designed with children in mind. Play hide-and-seek with squirts of water, or just plop down in the middle and cool off. Free concerts are offered at the Cameron Bandshell most weekends and some evenings between June and September.
