Veale Gardens is named after William Charles Douglas Veale, who was Adelaide's Town Clerk from January 1947 to November 1965,[1] and close friend of mayor A. C. Rymill.
There are many walks through the parks taking you through gardens of water features, past the greenhouse, and through more lush shady areas.
For many years, Veale Gardens had a reputation as a gay beat.
There was much debate over the years about whether to police the area more closely in response to public complaints about loitering and lewd behaviour, or to provide a safer and more amenable meeting place for gay men.
In more recent times Veale Gardens and adjacent parkland again became controversial because of its popularity with visiting Aboriginal people, looking for a cheap, safe, and convenient place to camp.