Our first port of call was the lovely and historic Australian city of Melbourne. We compared our…read morepre-cruise visit in bustling, contemporary, modern architecture, and high-finance areas of Sydney's CBD, like the USA's Los Angeles, to the more politically-centric, traditional British architecture and environment, and historic Melbourne city, like the USA's New York City, as we drove through Australia's second most populous city. We noticed Melbourne's CBD (Central Business District) was designed as a grid with wide thoroughfares alternating with narrow, smaller "Little" streets running parallel to them and plentiful laneways. Many street names honor British colonial leaders, British Royals, local politicians, and influential 19th-century residents. Our guide mentioned themed street clusters in newer suburban residential developments named after sports figures (cricket, football, & golf), Beatles' Strawberry Fields, medieval Camelot, literary figures, aviation companies, photography, and more. We were then treated to the historic, Victorian-era park where we strolled and relaxed along its tree-lined avenues, fountains, sculptures, conservatory, and looked forward to visiting the historic Cook's Cottage (original English home of Captain James Cook's parents), Fairies' Tree, and model Tudor Village on a chilly and slightly wet morning. I could imagine picnicking or just lazing back under the shade of trees during their warmer, clear-sky Spring or Summer seasons. Anyway, knowing we were going to stroll through the gardens, I made sure to take an allergy tablet, since the gardens have various plant and tree species our home state doesn't have. During our two-hour meandering through the Fitzroy Gardens, I felt my stress leave my body as my eyes, ears, and breathing embraced this beautiful English garden.

While Fitzroy Gardens is known as a historical garden built in 1800's, I found the park lacking in…read moreinteresting attractions. It's a good park to take a stroll but that's about it. Personally, I think you can skip and not miss much. The Captain Cook's Cottage wasn't even occupied by Captain Cook and requires an entrance fee to enter. The Conservatory with floral displays is so small you'll finish exploring in about 5 minutes.

(Visited 12/16/24 MO @ 12:00pm): This "river of mists" would've been welcomed on this scorching day…read morewhile out on a casual walk! A friend and I were on Day 3 of our 12-Day Southern Australia Explorer cruise with Princess Cruises, we took the local train into town, and after some initial exploration, we eventually made it to Birrarung Marr. To be honest, we knew nothing of this place until we casually came upon it. In Woi Wurrung and Boon Wurrung culture, "Birrarung" was the traditional name of the nearby Yarra River, and "marr" referred to the mist that sometimes settled over the Birrarung. This area was historically used for railway lines and yards in 1856. In 2000, construction of the park began and opened in 2002. The park now hosted a variety of native flora, sculpted terraces, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and was used for numerous events and festivals throughout the year. ArtPlay, a children's art center and gallery was also located on the site. Lastly, pedestrian bridges (William Barak and Tanderrum, respectively) bookend the park. Would we marvel at this public open space along the Birrarung!? PURCHASE Unless you took a river cruise, dined at a nearby eatery, or did some shopping, there were no direct ways to spend money towards the Birrarung Marr - 'nuff said. SERVICE I saw a few supposed city employees who cleaned and took care of the surrounding area. Otherwise, there wasn't anything else directly related to the Birrarung Marr - 'nuff said. PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance) There appeared to be a decent amount of parking on all surrounding streets (please note any posted signs), onsite parking at the nearby Federation Square, and of course the wonderful public transportation such as the tram system which we conveniently took and then walked the rest of the way - 'nuff said. ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE As previously mentioned, this was a completely exposed outdoor area with several art sculptors https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=jFWhi7YvYd0e2r9VU2S85A while the park was decorated in Christmas cheer https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=2k72ZA4tgRzz1XZmFCJdSQ and a beautiful downtown city view https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=eBa5d7pRaKR0QezOOy6M7Q just across the river. Obviously, there was plenty of natural lighting (duh!) while the night stars and electric business and street lights, respectively, filled in the rest. There weren't any TVs while the sounds of construction, conversations, motorized vehicles, and more were heard in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=ch5R0TpstGK_nVzKB0Cw1Q ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. OVERALL Birrarung Marr was a pleasant surprise to had come upon, and it was a relaxing time as we walked from one end to the other before we left on our next adventure. I was a huge fan of public open spaces used for multiple purposes that invited people to feel comfortable, safe, and offered other options such as places to dine or simply people-watch. I found complete value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $0.00AUD / $0.00USD BEFORE any discounts/tip). And, although there wasn't anything directly you could've paid for to the park, my credit card of choice was accepted at nearly all of the surrounding businesses... AMEX! 5.0 STARS

Located downtown near the Yarra River, this park area provides quiet, serenity, and the ability to…read morebike, run, or walk the pathways. Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Cricket Grounds are conveniently located within a few minutes from this location. There are shops, vendors, and restaurants neaby to take advantage of. The city of Melbourne do a great service with this public park.

What an amazing park in Melbourne, I came here twice during our week long trip…read more Everything is so well-maintained and the architecture of the building and the fountain is magnificent. I took so many photos in front of the fountain (and I wasn't the only one). On the first day we came to this park we bought a coffee at nearby Good Measure (be sure to try their Mont Blanc) and walked around the gardens. The next time, we came with a blanket and just soaked up the sun and relaxed. It's an easy tram ride over here from the CBD, I would highly recommend anyone visiting Melbourne to put this on your list!

Well-maintained, 64 acre, green space in downtown Melbourne. There were lots of big old beautiful…read moretrees strangely circled in plastic so possums can't climb up and destroy them. I photographed a very strange possum in a. tree. We saw flowers, Berries in trees and fountains. The gardens are an example of Victorian landscape design with sweeping lawns and varied European & Australian tree plantings consisting of deciduous English oaks, White Poplar, plane trees, elms, conifers, cedars, turkey oaks, Araucarias & evergreen trees. Moreton Bay figs, combined with flower beds of annuals & shrubs were meticulously maintained. A network of tree-lined paths provides formal avenues for highlighting the fountains

The name speaks for itself- just darling! I spent a couple of days in the Clifton Hill area just…read morenext to this park which was just lovely. It's a smaller park but would be greatly convenient for the locals and is just a lush space to walk the dog, have a picnic or run a few laps of. Very peaceful and really well maintained.

A beautiful park that's about a 15 minute walk away from me, and it took me 2.5 years to notice…read more.. I love this park for a number of reasons: it's beautiful, it's flanked by beautiful houses that you can ogle at, it has less hippies than Edinburgh Gardens, and it has a great community atmosphere. Catch free beats on a hot summer's day while you have a picnic or throw the frisbee. Or put your mat down and do some yoga (not my scene, but I've seen it done). If you're picnicking, bring a blankey, as the grass can be a little harsh on the legs. Those in North Fitzroy should consider coming over the road to Darling Gardens as a nice alternative to Edinburgh Gardens. Like I said, less hippies at Darling too.

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!

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.

Working five days a week, eight hours a day within an inner city suburb like Collingwood, you…read morereally come to appreciate that special one hour break in the middle of each day where you can stretch your legs and enjoy the sunshine (if you manage to catch it on those rare sunny Melbourne days). Those who are familiar with the bustling metropolitan 'burbs will also agree that it is often hard to come by a peaceful garden area to relish the fresh air. Thankfully, Yarra City Council has now completed the transformation of Peel Street Park - a once run down parking lot that can now be appreciated by locals and visitors alike. With plenty of open grass space and architecturally designed seating, the newly designed park offers a great place to meet with friends or simply enjoy the outdoors before heading back in to the daily grind.

Walking along the Yarra River is something I'd absolutely recommend, even when it's a bit nippy…read moreoutside. We started at Federation Square and walked down to Spencer St. Bridge, crossed over by The Crown and walked past Polly Woodside before coming back on the other side. There are quite a few places to cross over if you want to hop back and forth. The side we walked on first had a bit of dead space as there were parks and underpasses and the back of Sea Life but if we had crossed over before Sea Life there were many shops and restaurants on the other side of the river. There were plenty of places to stop and have a drink or a snack along the way and there were even a lot of benches if you just wanted to have a rest. Floating bars and all that jazz. We even saw a floating swimming pool they must use in the summer. There is interesting art works and the bridges are just nice to look at too. There are boat cruises being sold along the banks of the river, the big kind and the kind where you man your own boat. We tried to do one but they were sold out for the day, so plan accordingly!

The Yarra river weaves through Melbourne. They were many restaurants and bars that are along the…read morewater front and barges in the water. Crew teams and river cruises take advantage of the river. Promenades on both sides have wonderful theaters as well as the bridges the cross.

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.