I walked past this place one day a few years ago and as soon as I saw the old steam train parked…read moreout the front all the memories of my childhood came flooding back. I still remember coming down here around Christmas time for picnics with the extended family and spending our time climbing all over the train. Much has changed since then as all of the train has been fenced off with the exception of the drivers cabin. They have also built a modern playground, but they still have the lake (which unfortunately they discourage you from swimming in, drinking from, fishing in, and duck shooting in: in fact I don't think you can do anything with the lake except look at it, and I'm pretty sure they will not appreciate you attempting to waterski in it, not that I would recommend it considering that it is pretty shallow). However, despite the lack of water activities, this place is still a great place for a picnic, and who knows, one day you may wander down here and discover an African choir singing in the ampitheatre (I did).

I'm not really sure whether I can consider this to be a national park, like those parks where…read morepeople travel to just to go bushwalking. I guess the reason that I say that is because there really isn't all that much bush here. I'm sure there was once, but most of the trees have been removed, probably because this place used to be sheep paddocks (or more likely cattle actually). Still, it is close to home, and when you get to the top of the hills, you do get some pretty amazing views. Also, there are some shelters at some strategic points where you can rest, or if you are like my, sit down and have a packed lunch. At the top, there is a lookout, though unfortunately the lookout is over South Morang, so unfortunately there is really nothing to see there.

NOTES: ~ Bring some good tennis shoes or hiking boots. I…read moredidn't expect us to end up here when my friends and I went out for a drive and ended up needing to navigate through Kangaroo poop and rocks with open-toed heels. La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary is great for people who want a nice experience of Australian wildlife, but don't have the money to go deep into the outback. I fit the bill, and I genuinely really like this place! It is quiet, serene, and even better if you play the Jurassic Park theme song in your head while wandering through the pristine jungle-like reserve. Prepare to meet KANGAROOS! We saw some adorable kangaroos and silently watched them for a bit of time. Because the kangaroos aren't kept in cages or enclosures, the experience at this wildlife sanctuary is even better than an actual zoo! The kangaroos are free to roam - just be careful not to piss anything off! La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary is a fantastic nature experience and I would definitely bring anyone here. In fact, it makes me quite jealous of students attending La Trobe University! They get easy access to a beautiful reserve!~

Well, my exams were finished, and lockdown was over, so it was time to go for a bit of a walk,…read moresomething that I hadn't managed to do for a while, not so much because of lockdown, but rather because of Uni studies. Anyway, as I was wandering I came across this rather large park that I didn't know about. Well, it is actually more of a place to go to for sporting activities, since there are tennis courts and a rather large oval. Yeah, it was pretty cool.