Fawkner park is my urban sanctuary. It's where I go to escape the city buzz, take my poochie for a…read morelong walk and get some fresh air, see some grass and greenery. Lots of business people walking through on their lunch breaks and folks travelling to and from their workplace by foot through the park during peak times. Watch out for bikes speeding through though. Large off-lead area to allow your furry pals to let of some of their steam. Kids playground and toilet facilities within the park... and a majority of the ovals are booked out over the summer months for team sports. Great park to go with friends in summertime for a picnic. Well maintained lawns, etc. Keep an eye out for the cute little possoms at night. x

Anyone for a bit of #dogspotting?…read more I have long confessed that I am a dog stalker. I have been known to take unnecessary detours through Fawkner Park just in case someone's dog wants to come say hi to me. It's such a good park for it. While not fully enclosed like some dog parks, there is substantial tree coverage and the middle sections are not too close to any major intersections - so unless you have a pup known for bolting, safer than most off lead areas. A former employer of mine even holds their Canine Christmas parties here! But dogs aside, this is a nice park and deceptive in size. Hidden away between busy St. Kilda Road and Commercial Road, there are massive divided sections of park here with great walking/cycling tracks through the middle. On a daily basis you'll find people working out, playing soccer, lunching, or teaching their kids how to ride a bike. Plenty of bench seating and shady spots, I've also spent a few hours just hanging around here with friends for a lazy chat in the sun. A nice inner city sanctuary.

Known locally as "rocket park" due to the 5 level "rocket" on the playground.read more

Quite a pretty park with all the norm park attractions - toilet, BBQ, grassyness, large trees -…read morewhich was actually perfect on the 40 degree day that I visited. The trees are big enough to provide shade for a large group, and the park is quite close to Hawthorn station. About a 5 minute walk if I remember correctly. Quite a win for casual going away/ just cause we can/ birthday picnics and parties.

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.

Ruffey Lake park has something for everyone. Plenty of…read moreBBQ's and covered tables and benches, fun playgrounds, and a huge off leash dog area. Clean toilets and actual working taps ( yes lots of public toilets have no working taps, no locking doors and just plain gross). I find Ruffey lake very enjoyable to visit and amenities are well maintained. Lots of hills and paths for variety. Definitely a lovely day out!

This is a big park. Like huge…read more It feels like you could be far away from the world, but then you can get a glimpse of nearby houses and a small view of the Doncaster mall sitting up on a hill. It really is nice for a daytime, the sun is out so you should be outside type of day. It's good for a walk around their many paths, or for a picnic on one of their many open hilly spaces. If I was a dog, this would be optimum day out stuff. Because at Ruffey Lake Park, there are dogs galore, on leashes, on the footpath, running around, soaking up some sun rays, taking a dip into the lake, this park is their oyster. The lake itself, is average size, it's nothing to exclaim over, or take in. For seating, if you didn't take a blanket with you and are one of those don't-like-grass people, then find yourself one of the many benches that are laid out throughout the park. For the kiddies, there are two playgrounds with swings and activities, I feel like whenever I've been here, that area is hands down the most populated part of the park. For all of your park needs, Ruffey Lake is a stand out.

An ancient gem. Ahuge, vast old volcano /parkland hidden off the Calder Hwy…read more You drive in through the gates and the noise of the highway disappears and is replaced by bush sounds. Peace and quiet are valued and other park attendees respect each others' space and individual nature experiences. Walkers, joggers, hikers, day trippers, locals; all types are here and hanging out. Those that walk down the steep mountainside are greatly rewarded with a view of The Pipes. An old volcano stood here eons ago. Soo Ancient this place is We are the guardians' of this sacred place, treat it as you would your own home. Soo much sacred geometry to view here, for those that can see. I'm lucky to live within 5kms and get to frequent this place. I can see how some people might get bored here but you have to explore every rock, path, grass mound, butterfly, organ pipe, river, etc with a open, childlike engry to get the most out of this place. I often see wallabies and kangaroos; side note: I hit a roo on my way out one night, driving at low speed at sunset. Roo was fine. Car had acouple scratches. Roo was jumping in a pack then randonly darted in the direction of the road and hit me. Best be careful of the inhabitants and respect their home. Cows grazing on the other side of the mountain Beautiful river flowing down the bottom. Snakes are around, my friend has seen them but I sadly have not. Take sandwiches, crackers, water, snacks for lunch or dinner down by the river or in the picnic area. Take a bag to take your rubbish home, no bins. Bascic, clean bathrooms located in the carpark. Free parking. No attendants work here, its unmanned. Police drive around occasionally. Enjoy the place and remember, you are where you are suppose to be, trust the process & explore

This national park is right off the Calder Freeway, and with all those fast cars, make sure you…read moredrive carefully. As we rode on up, we saw a truck just outside the gate with a official looking man and thought - you've got to be kidding me, as he was closing the entrance gate. Asking him, he said the gates close at 4:30 but we can park outside and he can't stop us from going inside. Lesson learned and we did just that. We followed the pavement leading to the actual car park, then followed the track downwards into the valley. There were a few different walks, 80m to the right are the Organ Pipes. 240m to the left are the Rosette rock and the Tesselated pavement formation. To any one who knows rock talk formation stuff, this can be a learning experience. I, on the other hand, read some of the info boards and thought okay cool, this looks different, and how weird. I'm sure there is more to be appreciated here. Anyways, there are a ton of picnic benches here, so come for a picnic and a walk. Because I was here after closing times, it was the time of day that rock wallabies and kangaroos were out and about. And that was by far cooler than the cool rock formations I saw, it added to my time here. For a small park, its good for a drive up and a few hours of sunlight to picnic in and see some different formations. This park really defines the Aussie landscape, hilly, rocky, dry with kangaroos. Oh and its opposing the Calder Freeway, so even with being guarded by hills, you still get the noise factor from the cars.

Park with basketball courts ,BBQs , skateboard area and kid playground. It's dog friendly too.read more

These guys have a brilliant 50m outdoor SALT filtered pool (no chlorine)…read more A great place to swim.

This centre is a real hidden gem. Only 10 mins from Toorak road out the M1, loads of car parking,…read morehuge outdoor pool with diving towers, kids splash pool, changing facilities, fully stocked kiosk complete with hot food and some homemade soups, hot chips etc, 4 beautifully maintained indoor full size courts with an additional spare one as well, huge state of the art gymnasium, and a separate power lifting gym as well. Cheap as chips and easy to access

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.