Royal Park comprises 155 hectares of public open space located in the central Melbourne suburb of Parkville. It was set aside in the 1840s by Superintendent La Trobe “to provide the lungs for the City”. Since then, it has evolved into a public park with open spaces for passive and informal recreation, areas of native and indigenous vegetation including grassland, open woodland and wetland habitats, historic buildings and monuments, and areas for sporting activities. The centre of the Park accommodates the Melbourne Zoo.