This is a large flat field beside the Millstone River (aka Millstream) near to the SPCA in the Jingle Pot area. But it's more than just a field!
Along the south side of the field is the river and associated belt of trees and bushes. Across the field is an escarpment with trees growing beside the cliff face.
The park is ON-LEASH for dogs because of the sensitive riparian area alongside the river; there are dozens of red-listed species of interest who depend on this ecosystem.
The park is a noted stargazing location, and the City plans to build a platform for this purpose, with an "arbour" to keep out some of the surrounding light pollution.
The City's plans are actually quite extensive, aiming to incorporate East Wellington Park as part of the "Millstone Greenway", a trail system which starts at the Millstone's estuary (at Maffeo Sutton Park downtown) and runs through Barsby Park, Caledonia and Bowen Parks, and Buttertubs Marsh. The main trail would run along the northeast part of the park below the cliffs, but they are considering a side trail to run along the river, too. The fields would likely be farmed with forage crops, and there would be other spaces with things like a community garden, all in partnership with other stakeholders like the Foodshare Society.
Historically, this was not part of the City of Nanaimo and was considered to be "East Wellington". That's because the original town of Wellington sprouted around Robert Dunsmuir's coal mines near Diver Lake in the early 1870s, whereas the mines in this area opened 10 years later (not by Dunsmuir, but his family later acquired them) and these were called the "East Wellington" mines. Some of their operations ran all the way into the WWII years (on and off with different owners).
Back to the list of Nanaimo parks and places