Footbridge over Merri Creek
The 21km
Merri Creek Trail (also called the Merri Creek Path)
is a pleasant bushland path only a stone's throw from Melbourne's city centre.
Umm, where'd the city go?
OK, I see it now
This sealed trail, shared by pedestrians and cyclists, follows Merri Creek as it winds through the northern suburbs. Starting at Dights Falls in Abbotsford where Merri Creek meets the Yarra River, the trail follows the creek all the way to the Western Ring Road Trail in Fawkner.
The path can be walked, run or cycled in entirety, as a car shuffle (park a car at either end), or by using the train service (start from
Victoria Park train station and end at Gowrie) or you can just do a section of the trail. There's a detailed and informative map of the route
here.
There are lots of peaceful views of the creek and surrounding bushland along the way, occasional glimpses of the city towers, along with many points of special interest.
Eucalypt blossom on Merri Creek Trail
Near the Abbotsford end, there's the site of the
Merri Creek Aboriginal School, established in 1846
There's also
Merri Park Wetland, a 1.4 hectare area of restored wetland created by several environmental groups including
Friends of Merri Creek , Conservation Volunteers and the Darebin Bushland Management Team.
And the path goes by
CERES Community Environment ParkThis four hectare park is dedicated to sustainable living and organic gardening, and has a cafe featuring their produce.
Chooks at CERES
At the northern end of the trail in Fawkner, there's Bababi Djinanang, a wonderful native grassland reserve. You can see some great photos of it
here.
Native grasslands are extremely rare in Victoria today, with only one thousandth of the state's original grasslands still in existence.
There's limited shade along the way so a hat and sunscreen is useful. Take plenty of drinking water in summer too, especially if you're doing the whole trail.
There are lots of places along the way suitable for picnics, and several reserves where barbeques are available (location of barbeques is shown on the
map).
It's an excellent trail, and offers instant respite from the city.
