The Scotchman's Creek Bike Trail endures a love/hate relationship with all who ride and walk it…read more Love, because it's beautiful. Love, because it stretches such a long way. One can walk from Syndal to Chadstone and see so many different types of scenery. I got to walk through a tunnel under the freeway, go through a golf course, through two separate stretches of wetlands, and along a really nice trail that I could have believed was in the mountains. Hate, because the path is so damned hard to follow. I don't know anyone who hasn't got lost at some point along the trail. The signposting is terrible. It will take you all the way into the city if you follow it properly, but good luck with that. I tried to walk to Jell's Park from Blackburn Road, and ended up going through a very private looking housing estate. I was convinced I'd taken a wrong turn but pressed on regardless, only to see another signpost at the end pointing me down a street. Apparently I was still on the right track. Crazy.

Lately I have been enjoying a little running here and there. I have begun to like this place after…read moregoing there many times. Firstly its this quiet place where you get to meet the Kangaroos, joeys, echidna and some native birds on their own. The cycling, walking, horse riding and a few 4WD's roads (no sure if they are allowed however but you do see the tracks) are all unpaved roads. So just for a precaution take some good shoes that will withstand those kinds of environments. As for the crowds. People tend to be mostly chilling on the side of the lake where there are chairs and some grassland. Some times a few people here and there will also be running or cycling around the tracks but most of the times you are just on your own. There are no sipping water along the miles of those tracks so make sure you either drink enough water that will last you for at least an hour or take some water with yourself. Just don't give up. You'll finish those lines and at the end the feelings are just great.

The mountain bike princess in me loves the single tracks that flow freely through Lysterield Park…read more A great place for beginners to get out an about, get dirty and learn some skills on nice open single track.

Freeway Reserve is a fantastic exercise park. The walk around the edge is great, and spotted all…read morealong with different exercise stations. Don't worry, there are instruction on them all on what to do and how many reps etc. and for the most part they're in good nick. There's also an archery field, an oval and numerous sports clubs. There are sports halls as well, presumably the property of the many clubs. It's just all around a good place to go - good for a walk and talk with a friend, or a walk for the dog, or to play any number of games. I like to walk the track around the edge and sometimes sneak up the side close to the freeway. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe, there's just something very exciting about being that close to the fast cars wooshing past. And after I have had enough of walking, I go to the top corner and stand on the bridge over the freeway because THAT is exciting.

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.

Lakewood Nature Reserve has only recently developed into its current fleshy state. It has dense…read morebushes and trees and lots of natural grasses. There are little tracks that wind there way through the dense growth and these are quite enjoyable to explore. They are only dirt tracks however so if you are going on a wet day it does get quite muddy. There are also concrete paths that are a lot wider, which connect the reserve with Lakewood Lake. A lot of magpies and native birds live in the reserve and you will definitely see a lot of activity amongst the treetops. There is also a drinking tap supplied. This is useful both for humans and for dogs because there is a smaller at dog height.

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.

Great place for an easy ride with great views.read more

A wonderful hidden little strip of nature. A wonderful respite from the hustle and bustle of…read moresuburbia, parks like this are largely underappreciated. Brought the wife and kids down here a couple months ago for some live jazz, and whenever we visit friends nearby we picnic with their family here too. Today I brought my laptop and got some work done in the shade, listening to the water fowl play, and the other murmurings of a park. A pleasant reminder that I should share my love of this special place with my fellow suburbanites. Pros: Proximity to life, great walks around the lake, wildlife, great for sunset/sunrise walks. Cons: No Swimming thanks to pollution.

It is amazing how Melbourne's suburbia hides away little pockets of nature. You can be driving…read morealong with the trees on the nature strip and eventually you realise the houses themselves are gone, replaced by the sprawling expanse of a sanctuary. Blackburn Lake Sanctuary is on of these many magical places. Tucked in from the train line and busier surrounding roads, it is near a number of schools, so it's no surprise their field trips will include walking through the park and looking for wildlife. With open park area and play ground for kids, there is perfect space for picnics and events. Community music events - like a jazz festival in February - will often set up shop here for people to attend and listen for free. And after you've stuffed yourself with nonna's best home cooking and cleaned up the paper plates, what better way to burn it all off than with a walk around the lake itself. Not so big that the whole family couldn't do it, there are several smaller paths leading to different places outside the realms of the park. One school actually backs on it, as does a nearby church. All manner of wildlife can be found - ducks, birds, even a fox once or twice. Don't swim - apparently in the 50s they used to, but sadly water pollution has turned that idea quite sour. However, sitting by the water and watching life go by has never looked better.