On the next warm, sunny day, grab your friends, pack a blanket and whatever food and drink tickles…read moreyour tastebuds and plan to spend the entire day lazing about, laughing and lapping up the sunshine. You won't be the only ones doing it. Folk from surrounding neighbourhoods flock to Edinburgh Gardens on glorious days, some with guitars, some with little stereos, and almost everyone with a bit of beer. It makes for quite a festive atmosphere and it is truly a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors in the middle of built-up surburbia. The tall, leafy trees will provide all the shade you need once you've topped up your tan, and for those who can't get enough solar energy, there are huge expanses of grass just waiting for you to plant yourself on and settle in for a session of sun worship. No worries if you run out of snacks or find yourself with an unquenchable thirst. Ed Gardens are just steps away from Brunswick St and St Georges Road, where you are certain to find exactly what you crave.

There are a lot of old, beautiful trees to picnic, drink and then nap under in this historic old…read morepark and that in itself makes it a stand out to me. It's in a great spot and always plays host to a random assortment of events (Irish Festival or Fitness for the over 80s!) The Mr Burger truck is often parked here as well which is always a plus. Downsides? The bathrooms are revolting (I wish parks in Australia were more like European parks where they have a permanent attendant to make sure it's clean) and I think there needs to be a lot more lighting at night as well as barbecue areas.

Very nice park, good parking, safe environment for children with a fenced in adventure playground…read more One of the best in the eastern suburbs Very nice park, good parking, safe environment for children with a fenced in adventure playground. One of the best in the eastern suburbs

This park has a lot going on. Dog training school, archery lessons, cricket, soccer, BBQs and much…read moremore. It's a great local park with a little river to enjoy the serenity of nature. There is parking available and also a good track to ride your bike or go for a run. It's family orientated, which makes this park very safe. The playground is gated and you can also walk your dogs without a leash. Enjoy your day!

Templeton Reserve is quite la-di-da compared to the other reserves in the area. For starters it has…read moreits own driveway that winds up to a large carpark on site. Higher still sits the clubhouse, which is converged on by football teams and their families and coaches come weekends. There is a football oval on the right and it is common to see kids down here practicing. Next to the carpark and furthest from the footy oval is a decent sized playground. It too was being utilized by a group of children - perhaps because of school holidays, I'm not too sure. Either way the playground looked good enough to warrant decent popularity. There are a few different ways to enter the park on foot and there are walking tracks provided for convenience. I really liked that there was a row of pine trees lining the edge of the park and separating it from the road. It made the park look a lot nicer and contributed to its more upper class feel - well as upper class as a park can feel when there are kids everywhere. It is a nice place for a walk, and great if your personal trainer has told you to find some hills to run up - yep, that was the reason I was there. Warning - there are some real calf-killing hills so I wouldn't let your personal trainer find out about it or you'll be there faster than you can blink!

The first time I came here, I was meeting up with some friends for a frisbee match. I'm not…read moreparticularly coordinated when it comes to the hand-eye activities and so I suggested I just might cheerlead from the side lines... Well, they were all running around and frolicking about in the sunshine - the huge lawns here are perfect for it - and before I knew it I was playing like a recent graduate from the Ultimate Frisbee Champion School. Apart from friendly frisbee games, the gardens are great for a stroll or a relaxed afternoon under a tree. The community garden in south-west corner is nice to poke around in, as are the hot houses. Keep your eye out for critters in the trees.

I always forget this place is here! I feel absolutely privileged to be so nearby. When you're in…read morethe mood for a beautiful scenic walk, this seems to be the place, providing you don't want to head into the city for the other one. The plant life is super abundant and the amount of grass that's available for picnic is awesome! There's even that nice little playground for the kidlets. The only downside is there's always poo on the ground, yes a big downside. I'm not a fan of that being right in the pathway, especially when you are responsible enough to clean up your own dogs poop! Be kind and keep the pathways and grass clean please!

King Parade Playground has recently been re-vamped and all the equipment is brand new. It is a…read moremodest playground but it has plenty of grassy areas surrounding it and is great for kicking a ball around or any game requiring serious room. It borders both King Parade and Norma Crescent South in Knoxfield, as it is located on empty blocks of land on a suburban street. It also acts as a useful cut through between these streets- well, for me anyway. Small green plants and large rocks line the footpath on either end of the park - kids seem to enjoy jumping from rock to rock. I have never seen the park particularly busy which is always a nice thing - it means you don't ever really have to wait for someone else to finish with a piece of equipment. It has two swings - one baby and one adult size. There are also two wooden park benches to sit on that face the playground. These are perfectly placed for any adults supervising their kids. When it rains the park gets really muddy and slushy. You will get mud splashes on your clothes if you walk across it when it is like this, so if you're using it as a cut through only I would definitely avoid using it on wet days. Otherwise it is a pretty good playground and park. I happily recommend it.

Quarries Park is probably the only inner city patch of green that can boast an epic adventure…read moreplayground, skate park, sports oval, BBQ facilities, open dog spaces and breath taking views of the city. Quarries Park lies on the edge of Clifton Hill, bordering the Eastern Freeway and Merri Creek and is a series of tiered, manicured spaces. Due to Clifton Hill's geographic nature of being......a hill......it has the topographical benefit of several vantage points over looking the city, the best being Quarries Park. There are two sports ovals catering to local cricket teams and after school footy matches. The middle plateau has a covered BBQ area and a playground that even the adults quietly envy. Large wooden structures, forts, dizzy poles (im not sure if thats its actual name but its the best description I could come up with) swings, sand pits, bridges, and climbing ropes. The skate park usually has a handful of teen/young adult skaters who are respectful of the space, the skate park is far enough removed from other facilities to avoid potential "stacks". The real point of difference is the lookout, a peaceful space to gaze out over the city and be quietly thankful you are standing there and not stuck in traffic. It would be 5 star but during the late afternoon the noise from the Eastern Freeway commuters is rather audible.

This is our favourite park. We generally frequent the playground on the eastern side of the park…read more(Pascoe Vale Rd) as it's more interesting for my son. The lake is a highlight too. I enjoy including the park in my walking or running track. The playground on the Mt Alexander Rd side of the park has a cafe and lots of seating. The cafe is fine but there are much better options close by. There is a little quiet garden on the Mt Alexander side which is great to read a book in and relax.

My equal fave nature place in the Northern burbs is Queen's Park. It's frequented by families,…read morechildren, the elderly and fitness fans who take advantage of the many perks about this tranquil park. There are two playgrounds either side of the lake, walking and bike tracks, a gorgeous pergola/gazebo complete with white turret roof. Situated right on the lake, this magnificent area is perfect for wedding photos and is quite often used as a place to get married or to have wedding pics taken. When the giant water feature display comes on in the background the beauty of the scene it creates, particularly from the pergola with ferns and lush greenery in the background, truly takes your breath away. The Queen's Lake Cafe is situated on the opposite side of the gazebo next to one of the two playgrounds. They serve up delicious, homely and oh-so-worth-not-packing-a-picnic sort of food. Fresh rolls, focaccia and hot food, as well as perfecto tea and coffee, this is one playground you won't mind taking the kids to! Even though it gets busy here and not as big as Coburg Lake it's always seemed to be more serene and peaceful each time I've been. Seating a plenty, picnic tables, swimming complex, cafe, playgrounds, free BBQ facilities, walking and biking tracks, peace, wildlife, romantic.... The list goes on and on. The best thing to do is come and experience it for yourself, particularly if you live on this side of Melbs.

Okay, this place is mostly a cricket pitch, but in a way it does have some charm about it. The…read morereason being is that it is sort of built on a slope that goes down to the Yarra River. Well, it isn't quite built on a slope because playing cricket on a slope sort of doesn't really work all that well. Rather, they have flattened it out so that you can play cricket without the ball rolling down onto the road. Anyway, the thing I thought was cool was that it seems that the buildings have built into the side of the hill, something which I do think is rather cool actually. Yeah, it is a nice park, and there is some charm about it as well.

Whether or not you own a dog, Como Park is a really awesome spot to A) bring your dog for…read moreoff-the-lead runs or B) enjoy a day in the sun dog watching. It sounds a little looney but lots of other walkers/ park lovers come to Como Park to dog watch because it's really fun seeing how dogs of all breeds, sizes, shapes and colour get along and interact. Como Park has a long standing reputation for being a top park for dogs because it is set within an oval and even though it is not gated, the dogs have so much fun running free in the oval. And most times, all the dogs get a long well. It's also a great way to keep your dog socialised and give them a chance to exercise. For those that don't own dogs, you can watch the fun while getting some exercise and have your fair share of playing with the friendly dogs who love a good pat or scratch. (tip: try behind the ears for an instant best-friend reaction) Como Park also has a gated playground, bicycle path, barbecue area and ample space to kick the footy around, so the whole family can enjoy the outdoors. The park is also home to Stonnington's Carols by Candlelight each year.