Cussen Park is a bushland style park encompassing 33 ha of wetlands, woodlands and open space on the Northern outskirts of the town of Tatura in Northern Victoria. The land, which forms the Park is surrounded by industrial, residential and irrigated farm land.

The Park has been formed from the reclamation of wastelands by the Tatura community working closely with Council and Government Agencies. It now forms a valuable community asset for the Township of Tatura, providing educational opportunities, passive recreation and significant habitat for indigenous plants and animals. The Park is used to biologically treat Tatura's urban stormwater, preventing poor quality water being passed onto the wetlands and farms downstream.

Cussen Park has a largely untapped eco-tourism potential, containing constructed wetlands, bird hides, observation decks and well developed paths and signs allowing people to closely observe many bird species otherwise not possible.

The Tatura township lies over the original drainage lines of what is known as the East Mosquito depression. This is a natural drainage line, which meets up with larger Mosquito depression. The placement of Tatura in this spot was presumably a means of allowing drainage of urban stormwater and sullage in the absence of drainage system when Tatura was first created in the 1870's.

Originally the land that now forms the Park was used for grazing, as an extension of surrounding farmland. In later years other uses included a council burnt rubbish tip, a BMX track and a gravel dump. This resulted in much of the Park being left as wasteland.

In 1993, the then Rodney Shire decided to rezone the area that now forms the Park for residential development to solve the problem of the eyesore and generate money for the Council. Numerous objections were received to the proposal from residents in Tatura.

A public meeting was held and overwhelming support from the community was received for the development of a bushland Park on the site. A committee known as the Cussen Park Advisory Committee was formed.

In 1994 a detailed proposal for the Park was prepared with Council funding. The Plan integrated a bushland park with open space and stormwater treatment facility was adopted by Council. The Plan known as "Future Use and Development of Cussen Park", included a design for the Park and its features and identified an area in the North East of the Park that could be set aside for residential sub-division. A Committee called the "Cussen Park Committee of Management" was formed.

In January 1995 works began on developing the Park to the Plan. Works included Working bees and large scale earthmoving to cover open tips, create islands and place structures to allow water levels in the lakes to be manipulated. Considerable "in kind" contributions by were made by community members with help from sponsorship by service organisations, Council and other agencies.

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