This park is a memorial to our 9th Prime Minister James Scullin, who was born in Trawalla in 1876.
It is believed the name Trawalla comes from the Wathaurong Aboriginal tribe and translates to “wild water”. In times of high rainfall, these plains (including this park) will often be a metre or two under floodwater.
The Trawalla area was first settled in 1838 by the Kirklands, and the National Trust listed Trawalla Homestead is about 3km further down this road.
Trawalla once hosted a Cobb & Co stop at the Trawalla Hotel, and the Post Office opened in 1864 but closed 110 years later in 1974.
The Trawalla School opened in 1872, and was originally sited on the corner of the old Highway and the Waterloo Road. You can still see the concrete footings and a ring of basalt rocks on the old block, which is surrounded by pine trees. The school moved across to the other side of the creek in the late 1960s and is still going strong today.