I'm not really sure why I went and checked this place out, though I do have to admit that I have a…read moresoft spot for parks, especially those of the larger kind (as opposed to those small collection of green places you have dotted intermittantly about the inner suburbs). Anyway, this does happen to be one of those larger parks with some wetlands at the back and boardwalks that take you meandering through it, a large artificial hill in the middle, which is sort of a war memorial (though the actual war memorial is at the bottom), play equipment for the kids, barbeques for cooking, and shade for simply sitting down and relaxing. Also, it happens to be behind a shopping centre, which helps a lot, especially if you are having a barbeque and happen to forget something, namely because you can just duck in and grab what you need. It's, artificial, but still pretty cool.

Love All Nations. Beautifully landscaped. Plenty here for everyone. Walk, sit, wander among tall…read moreor short trees. Climb a mini mountain. Have a picnic. Sit by a small lake. A wonderful local resource for all.

This is actually quite a large park, and it is certainly pretty popular on the weekends, if the…read morenumber of cars piling into it is anything to go by. Then again, I did wander through it on one of those nice February days, so that probably shouldn't be all that much of a surprise. Anyway, it is a part of the Yarra Parklands, a stretch of park that runs along the banks of the Yarra River (and is not doubt also used for flood control). There are plenty of facilities, and the walk long the river is rather nice as well. Oh, and there are some lovely gardens at the entrance.

BATS!!! We had a wonderful little family hike here to see the famous flying foxes, otherwise known…read moreas fruit bats. Being from Hawaii, this was a totally unique and cool experience as don't really have a lot of bats in hawaii! We walked maybe a half mile from the parking lot and BAM, BATS GALORE! This place is totally worth visiting!

I love coming here, as soon as the weather gets good I'm making any excuse possible for a day out…read morehere. This is a quiet park right off the eastern freeway. It's close to the city, but feels like a whole new place. This park has bbq facilities with wooden tables under pavilions, there's not too many spots so you might want to get in early if it's going to be a long weekend (or exceptionally sunny day). There's also a café here that sits besides the river, where you can dine outside and enjoy the serenity. This is definitely perfect for families as there are bike trails, a playground and did I mention the rowboats for hire. Yes rowboats! There's also fishing available, although I'm not sure if you would catch anything here. If you don't like bats, I probably would come here then. I was lying in the sun with my hunny after a lovely picnic, we didn't notice anything at the time- but after careful inspection of the funny looking leaves on the trees, turns out they were bats. A hundred or more bats, hanging from the nearby trees sleeping. They weren't scary, or noisy or obtrusive, it was just a surprise to see so many up close. Bats aside, this is a lovely park. Perfect for whatever occasion.

The bicycle path along the Merri Creek isn't much good for getting anywhere because there are some…read moremore direct routes that you can take. But both C and I enjoy it as a pleasant place to ride through the parkland and along the creek. There are a couple of bridges to cross and plenty of steep hills requiring extensive gear changing as the path winds its way along the Merri Creek. C simply gets off her bike and pushes it up some of the steepest hills. The bike path is shared with pedestrians, dog walkers, baby carriages, so it is not a place for a fast ride. If you want to ride fast try the Brunswick Velodrome along the bike path. I also pass by Ceres Environmental Park and the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church with its gold domes. My favorite feature of this ride is Simon Perry's Rolled Path. It is a fun sculpture that works perfectly with the bicycle path. The sculptor Simon Perry made "The Public Purse" in the Bourke Street Mall. In Coburg the Merri Creeks joins up with the Coburg Lake Reserve where C and I have a break from our ride.

My mate gave me a bike a few years back and it changed my life. It was this rusty old thing he'd…read morehad chained to his fence for years and I had a few at his place and he let me take it home. It's about three years down the track now and I've still got it. I reckon that's a fair claim for its ownership. We have a relationship now. One thing I discovered since getting my bike, is the Merri Creek Bike Trail and I fuckin' love it. The trail meanders along the creek banks from Reservoir right through to Abbotsford. While it's a totally indirect route to either of these places (or any of the in between suburbs), that's kind of the point. You can just relax and cruise along at a leisurely pace and soak up the regenerating bushland and creek banks. There are birds and somehow the noise of nearby traffic evaporates. I love it so much, I'm goin' there right now; not to go anywhere in particular mind... I'm just gonna be cruisin' yo.

For many years the lake at Banksia Park was empty. But now, the park is restored to its former…read moreglory after strong rains and volunteer work. The park backs on to the Heide property and features walk trails, a cherry blossom garden, a playground and a lake filled with black pacific ducks and waterfowl. The walking track that takes you in a loop and along the Yarra River is a great place to spot local wildlife including parrots and honeyeaters .The soundtrack is the bellbirds that sing in the branches of the trees. Gums, wattles, and other native trees provide beautiful scents and attractive foliage along your walk. This is a leash park, and you are encouraged to clean up after your dog. There are little barbeque areas and a few bins. The open grassy spaces are great for getting a group of friends together on a sunny day, and the nearby playground provides an excellent place to let the kids run around. Banskia Park is perfect on a sunny day with a lot of space to host a barbeque or go for a walk. In the warmer months you may have to watch out for snakes.

I love the dog park at Banksia Park!…read more There are so many other great owners who are super friendly and will talk to you about your dog and other dog-related chats. I love that there is a fence so that all dogs are safe within the vicinity! Additionally, it's not an open space, there are bushes and trees that break up the land so that shyer dogs can get away and have some space to themselves! However, I wish that the grass was cut a bit more frequently and that there was a doggy poo bin with doggy bags. Another difficult issue is that the entrance gate closes at 6pm on the dot when it is not daylight savings - pretty hard for owners to get to the park after work during peak hour traffic. Other than these, it's a great dog park and I love the people and their dogs there!

The Merri Creek is quite simply the greatest natural thing that exists in Melbourne. The creek runs…read morefor approximately 70kms, beginning near Heathcote Junction, on Melbourne's northern outskirts, and joining the Yarra River at Dight's falls in Collingwood. Through its journey, the creek meanders through suburbs, under highways and foot bridges and in recent times a concerted effort to clean the thing up has been taking place. Spearheaded by not-for-profit Friends Of Merri Creek, the clean up and re-vegetation of the banks of the creek is redeveloping this amazing environment around the creek. Birds and other native animals (notably, snakes) are moving back into the growing bush lands and there have even been reports of Platypus sightings in Thornbury. If you haven't been to the creek, take a rug and go down there to relax in the sunshine under a tree. It is so very peaceful and gives me warm fuzzies just thinking about it.

Having been for a Sunday afternoon cycle along the Merri Creek, I have to wholeheartedly agree with…read moreSam that is is one of the most naturally beautiful areas of Melbourne. The Merri Creek trail runs for 21km and is perfect for grazing, walking, running or as we did cycling. We joined it at St Georges Road and followed it North for 10 or so clicks. Along the way are numerous play areas and areas prime for picnicking, sports clubs and the Brunswick cycling outdoor velodrome (this was a lot of fun). You can also stop for a coffee at the CERES cafe. A truly great place in Melbourne that is perfect for a leisurely afternoon in the summertime. My friend who trains for triathlons only runs here. Now I know why!