(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.

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.

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.

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

Every day this fully fenced park is full of lovely doggies running around. As long as there is no…read moresport or training on dogs are free to run!!

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.

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.