The Best Walks in Melbourne's Yarra Bend Park
Post
Subscribe
Every year, over 1.5 million people visit Yarra Bend Park in Melbourne's northeast for a walk in nature.
Around every corner, treats await in the open air. Gentle rivers, secluded beaches, native flowers and towering trees are alive with birdsong. Walking tracks stretch through rainforest, along cliffsides and creeks, before dipping into dense bushland and rising to peaks with inspiring views.
You can tackle a section of a longer walk or complete the round-trip options. Whether you're new to the park or a seasoned hiker, you'll love the highlights on these top walks.
Whichever walk you choose, you'll enjoy it but safety is a top priority.
Prepare with supplies – water, snacks, the right clothing (hat, long-sleeve shirt, jumper, rain jacket, sunglasses, sturdy walking shoes, long pants, mobile phone, camera, and backpack. Take a map for longer walks and let a friend know where you're going and when you'll finish.
Each of these trails has unique features, changing as the seasons pass, so you'll discover new delights on return visits.
Andrews Reserve Trail – 1.2km one-way.
In the park's south, begin at the Walmer St footbridge.
Step over the tarmac to reach the compacted earthen stairs pounded countless footfalls.
Listen for Bell Miners as pure river waters flow into the Carlton United Brewery.
Marvel at sandstone blocks, thrust from the earth by nature's constant pressure over the centuries.
Scan the tops of scented eucalypt trees for Brushtail Possums before a picnic at Andrews Reserve.
Visit
Parks Victoria for more info.
Bushland Circuit – an easy 850m.
Walk east from Kane's Bridge toward the golf course.
You'll enter tall grasslands, the home of Silvereye and Honeyeater birds.
Keep going to see the bushland grow into a delightful woodland, dominated by Red Gums. Watch nesting parrors swoop low for seeds and insects.
Visit
Parks Victoria for more info.
Dights Falls Loop – 4.2km one-way.
With the Kane's Bridge at your back, venture north. You'll trail around the sporting oval, the former site of a 19th century asylum.
After escaping the ghosts of the past, follow the row of Cyprus trees.
You'll circle back to the Yarra River to rest at the Deep Rock picnic spot. Admire the view of Galatea Point on the opposite bank, listening for chatter from the Sacred Kingfishers.
Visit
Parks Victoria for more info.
Westfield – 2.1km loop.
Descend beneath the freeway overpass to reach the lookout over Merri Creek. You'll catch the many hues of basalt colour at the abandoned quarry, as ochre swirls over sedimentary rockwalls.
Follow the aroma of barbecue lunches at the picnic area before sneaking past the pillar marking the entry to the Yarra Creek Lunatic Asylum.
While it hasn't hosted patients for almost a century, you can test your own composure with a round at
Yarra Bend Public Golf Course .
Visit
Parks Victoria for more info.
River Circuit – 2.2km circuit
Crunch along gravel after casting off from the Fly Casting Pool.
Beneath the shade of Yellow Gums, you'll be led to a trickling waterfall.
Step softly to spy the Striped Mask frogs, while canoeists paddle from the Ivanhoe Clubhouse.
After strolling through Fairfield Park, look to the skies for Red-rumped parrots before circling left to complete the circuit.
Visit
Parks Victoria for more info.
Which Yarra Bend track is your favourite? We'd love to hear your comments.
#abbotsford
#aboriginal
#alphington
#alphington
#attractions
#bucket_list
#child_friendly
#clifton_hill
#escape_the_city
#free
#history
#kew
#lists
#natural_attractions
#outback
#outdoor
#richmond
#swimming
#things_to_see
#walks
#waterfalls
#yarra_bend
%wnmelbourne
120150 - 2023-06-12 22:00:53