One of the major roads thru the park, May Drive is mentioned in the Princess's honour.  It occupies 4.06 km of the crest of Mount Eliza which overlooks the City and Perth Water on the Swan Stream . Two thirds of the park is local bushland.

The park is bigger than NY's Central Park which is 3.41 km. It was also the 1st park to be delegated for public use in Australia ( in 1872 ).  Before Western european settlement and exploration Mount Eliza was known as Mooro Katta[1] and Kaarta Gar-up[3] by the Nyoongar inhabitants. At the base of the southern face is a freshwater spring, known as Kennedy spring ( Goonininup ), this is a water spring providing year round water for the Yellagonga clan. The spring was noted by the 1st European visitors to the area, Willem de Vlamingh's party, on eleven Jan 1697.

The Lieutenant Governor of the Swan Brook Colony, James Stirling, selected the townsite of Perth because of this - the sole local spring. He named the area Mount Eliza for Mrs Ralph Darling.  The supply of fresh water also attracted the Swan Brewery to the site and original buildings of the Old Swan Brewery and have been since been converted to restaurants , home accommodation, and a skill studio. The Colony's first Surveyor General John Septimus Roe recognized the qualities of the area and attempted to guard it, by identifying the land to be put aside for public purposes. The Mount Eliza reservoir provided water to the neighborhood, and still remains, but by arrangement of the lease was partially diverted to be used in the park itself.

This was mostly allotted, after 1919, to the commemorative Oaks and Planes lining May Drive. Their eventual failure led straight to their substitution with Bangalay, Eucalyptus botryoides, and Eucalyptus calophylla var.

Since 1999, Kings Park has been administered by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, who also administer Bold Park, and does not come under any Local State authority. The park's administration building contains all the executive offices where visitors may book led walking tours, get info, or reserve one of the facilities. Kings Park was featured in 2006 on the television show The superb Race, where groups picked up a clue from in front of the War Commemorative . In early 2009, the south western area of the park was seriously ruined by a fire, that has been suspected to once have been intentionally lit.

The state War Commemorative Precinct is found on Mount Eliza overlooking Perth Water. The Cenotaph was displayed in the year of the Centenary of Western Australia - on 24th Nov 1929 by the Governor Sir William Campion, and had as the honorary designer General Sir J Talbot Hobbs. The court of speculation is at the western side of the precinct and was exposed on 6th Nov 1955 by Sir Charles Gairdner. The flame of remembrance and pool of reflection was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II on the first of Apr 2k. Under the Cenotaph is the roll of honour with the names of all soldiers and ladies from Western Australia to die in the Boer War, World War I, World War Two, Korean War or Vietnam.

The roads thru King Park have been planted with eucalypt trees and in front of every one is a plaque honouring those service blokes who died during action or as a consequence of injuries received, there are more than 1100 of these plaques.  Originally suggested by Mr Arthur Lovekin, owner of the news. His concept was based mostly on the Avenue of Honour in Ballarat, Victoria. Originally families were needed to pay ten shilling to cover the price of the plantings, exservicemen provided the obligatory labour to plant the trees. In 1920 Mr Lovekin and Board member Sir William Loton, each donated five hundred pounds to clear and plant Forrest avenue with Sugar Gums. A brilliant view of Fraser Avenue in 1899 from the Perth Observatory shows the first state of the entrance and drive in the Weekend Reports Flashback Series 3542b 124 held in the Battye Library Photographic collection.

This commemorative is devoted to the sixteen Western Australian victims, the hurt and those that helped the survivors of the terrorist bombings on twelve October 2002 in the resort city of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali, where 202 folks were fatally injured and 209 wounded. The bulk of the dead were foreign holiday makers, including 88 Australians.

The Edith Dircksey Cowan Commemorative , previously called the Edith Cowan Commemorative Clock, is the clock tower at the main entrance Kings Park. It was built in 1934 as a commemorative to Edith Cowan, the 1st lady elected to an Australian parliament.