Welcome to the Place of Reflection

Kings Park, Perth Western Australia

The Place of Reflection is a contemplative space that is available to everyone in the community. This beautiful and tranquil site – set in the magnificent Kings Park and Botanic Garden, just 1.5 kilometres from the Perth central business district – provides a place of commemoration and healing for people coping with loss in everyday life.

The Place of Reflection is set in a secluded space within the park’s Botanic Garden, surrounded by natural bushland. Walking paths, contemplation decks and seating provide opportunities for individual reflection and quiet discussion, while the Marlee Pavilion provides a sheltered and inspirational space where groups can hold organised events. The site is softly lit into the early evening, to beautiful effect.

The Place of Reflection is a precious resource for the Western Australian community: a protected space where loss is felt and acknowledged, where loved ones are remembered and where nature encourages the seeking of understanding, healing, hope and renewal.

The following organisations worked together to bring the Place of Reflection vision to life:

Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors (ASeTTS); Healing Hearts Foundation (founded by the Rotary Club of Heirisson); Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Kids WA; The Compassionate Friends WA; Soroptimist International of South Perth; Lotterywest; Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority; and Friends of Kings Park.

"I sat on the seat with my husband and cried, letting myself acknowledge long-held grief. I felt engulfed by warmth, held and protected…"

A daughter remembering her parents

"The Place of Reflection is unique… The view from its location on the scarp of Kings Park is simply magnificent, and the design of the place itself blends beautifully with the natural bush surroundings… What a lovely, peaceful place to go to remember a loved one."

Tuart Place staff member

"A place of peace, calmness, beauty, tranquillity and freedom - I felt like I was in a space where I didn’t have to think about anything. I could reflect or meditate or just enjoy."

Perth Home Care Services staff member

"My friend and I come here together. We sit on the bench, two widows sharing our memories of our partners."

Place of Reflection visitor

"The discreet location amongst nature with such a superb outlook enables individuals and groups to reflect and heal without judgement."

King Edward Memorial Hospital, Grief & Loss Council member

"We really appreciate the sense of peace and serenity that settles on us when we are there."

Adoption Jigsaw staff member

"We can share this place with those needing a quiet time, somewhere to sit quietly or grieve... a place with nature, somewhere they might find peace, calmness, even closure."

Mareena Purslowe & Associates staff member

"We can share this 'A place of complete peace to just reflect and let your worries in the world go. And a place to reflect on the loved ones lost in your life and to honour them.' With those needing a quiet time, somewhere to sit quietly or grieve... a place with nature, somewhere they might find peace, calmness, even closure."

Anglicare staff member

"We really could not have had a more ambient or beautiful setting."

Cystic Fibrosis WA staff member

"The Place of Reflection is an important place to myself and my family. We are able bring our sadness to this place and turn it into a reflection that deepens our lives and our compassion for all those who suffer loss."

Soroptimists International member

"It is a lovely place for thought, meditation and comfort in nature, a place to find peace in the chaos of life."

Place of Reflection visitor

"I really like the words on the path as well as the words on the bench. If you have come through a time of grieving, you do at times feel very alone – particularly if you have experienced the loss of a life partner. The words on the bench ‘You are not alone’ were particularly meaningful to me."

Place of Reflection visitor

"A beautiful, peaceful place for people experiencing grief and loss to spend some quiet time, remembering and healing."

Place of Reflection visitor

healing
through
nature