Sweetwater Creek Nature Reserve

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Are you looking for an excuse to get your backside off the couch this weekend and head off into the Great Outdoors? If so, look no further than in Frankston. It's a stone's throw from the beach and the shops, but you'll think you're in the middle of the country.


As a mum of three small children with a lot of energy to burn, I'm always looking for outdoorsy activities to while away a couple of hours. Bush walks are a great way to achieve this and they're also free which gets a thumbs up from me. My three are never happier than when they're scrambling over rocks and splashing about in dirty creeks. There's always the added bonus of them sleeping particularly well afterwards too.



Having lived in Melbourne's south east for 9 years now, I only stumbled upon this little piece of paradise a week ago. How had I not heard about it before? There are several different entrances to the reserve and no doubt locals probably know them all. For the uninitiated though, you might find this map useful which is found on the website for Sweetwater Creek. It shows the various starting points and tracks you can choose from.



We met numerous dog walkers, power walkers, nature ramblers and other families on our little adventure, so it seems I'm the only one who didn't know it existed. We started our bush walk at the Liddlesdale entrance, at the bottom of Olivers Hill. It was easy enough to find, because other cars were already parked near the entrance. There are plenty of signposts within the reserve, marking the routes to the different tracks. We followed the Creek trail for most of the way which was very picturesque but definitely not pram-friendly. Hubby insisted on carrying our pram up and down many sets of steps (just in case we need it and it flattens out…) even though the toddler was quite happy to be walking with 'the big kids'. I did suggest leaving it in a strategic spot and collecting it on our return, but this suggestion was met with raised eyebrows.



We encountered all sorts of plants, flowers, trees, rocks, bridges, stairs and birds on our little ramble, but the highlight for the kids was a spot where you can access the creek and go rock-hopping and paddling and generally get dirty and wet. There is also a playground at the end of one of the tracks but we didn't make it this far as it was at the opposite end to where we began.

We had a lovely morning just enjoying the surroundings and the weather was also kind which added to the experience. The kids were able to be as fast and loud and curious as they wanted which suited them just fine. If you've got some little explorers on your hands, it's a lovely spot for getting back to nature.

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