Anders and Dorrit's Community Park

Anders and Dorrit's Community Park

The park property is 2.55 ha (6.3 acres) in size and is part of the Agricultural Land Reserve. The property is bordered by Jingle Pot Road on the Northwest and by farms on the Southwest and East. Half of the property is forested and the other half consists of open fields and a former house site with its surrounding residential gardens. An informal trail leads down to the Millstone River which runs through the southern part of the property.

What to do

  • Birdwatching
  • Walking
  • Parking
  • Picnic
  • Accessible

How to get there

The park is located at 3734 Jingle Pot Road in Electoral Area 'C' within the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN). The park is just outside the City of Nanaimo limits.

Park History

Anders and Dorrit purchased the property over 30 years ago and set about building a house and farming the land where they raised cattle, sheep and chickens. Anders and Dorrit were avid travelers as well as gardeners and over the years they established an interesting collection of ornamental trees on the property.

In November, 2007 a letter was received from Dorrit and Anders Olesen asking if the Regional District was interested in their property for park purposes. Before he passed away, Anders Olesen sat down with parks staff at the Regional District of Nanaimo and developed concept plans for a community park which closely follow the Olesen's wishes.

The property was transferred to the Regional District following Anders' death in May 2011. He was 86 years old.

The park was officially opened to the public on September 5th, 2013.

Interpretive Signage Audio Tour (coming soon)

Look for interpretive signage throughout the park to learn about Anders and Dorrits Olesen, the park design and interesting tree species in the park. You can listen to audio narration of the signage by scanning QR codes on the signs or by clicking the links below.

  • Anders and Dorrit's Community Park
  • Designing a Park
  • Grape
  • Maiden Hair Tree
  • Dawn Redwood
  • Yew
  • Meet the Giants: Giant Sequoia and California Redwood
  • Beech
  • Apple
  • Swamp Cypress
  • English Oak
  • Western Red Cedar
  • Bigleaf Maple
  • The Ways of Water
  • Coming of Age