Bayview Park

Narre Warren

Melbourne has been in the grip of a cold snap and I haven’t been walking as much as I’d like. But in between two cold fronts we have had a couple of beautiful, sunny winter days and I decided to finally go and try a relatively new park in Narre Warren. Bayview Park was completed in 2019 and is on the site of an old tip. It comprises a circuit of steps and is touting itself as competition to Ferntree Gully National Park’s 1000 steps walk at the Kokoda Memorial Track.

There are certainly a lot of steps at Bayview Park, although it really can’t be compared with the 1000 steps at Ferntree Gully, as the location is entirely different. The Ferntree Gully walk is located deep within the forest in the National Park, whereas Bayview Park sits atop a very open hill. They are both terrific walks in their own right, however.

Bayview Park has a small car park located off Quarry Road, which is just off the Berwick side of Ernst Wanke Road. It was very busy and we could see lots of people on the hill as we approached. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and the carpark was almost full, with cars also lining up along Quarry Road. We started off up the steps, which are steep but not unmanageable. I think average fitness and a steady pace is all that’s required to enjoy this park. It’s entirely unsuitable for prams or wheelchairs, so you will need to carry your baby or go to one of Melbourne’s many wheel friendly places instead.

Welcome sign at Bayview Park, Narre Warren

The steps themselves aren’t very steep, some of them are barely steps at all. I found it easier in some places to walk beside the steps on the slope instead. Once we reached the top we turned to the right and over the horse friendly gate. The area is also an equestrian trail, although we didn’t see anyone riding while we were there. At the top we wandered around underneath the gentle hum of the electricity towers and took in the amazing view. You can see all the way to Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay, look out over the suburbs surrounding Dandenong and the City of Casey and back the other way, views of the southern side of the Dandenong Ranges.

Horse crossing gate at the top of the hill.

Originally a home sat upon the hill. It then became a quarry, following which the giant hole became a municipal tip. Interestingly, especially for a resident of the Dandenongs, a lot of the debris from the Ash Wednesday bushfires was taken to this tip. Following the tip closure a methane power plant was established and you can see the outlets poking out on the top of the hill. It is also part of the trail of high tension power lines that feed electricity from Gippsland to Melbourne. Bayview Park is adjacent to Kurll Park, which is off Brundrett Road, and a carpark here provides alternate access to the track if parking is difficult to find.

View looking back towards The Dandenong Ranges

After wandering around the top of the hill, which was a little muddy thanks to the amount of rain we’ve had recently, we made our way back to the track and headed down the other side. The track is set up as a big circuit. The hill is very exposed, which would make it very hot in summer, so bear that in mind if coming on a hot day. It isn’t a long walk and could be completed in half an hour, or less if you’re one of those super fit running types (which I have accepted I will never be!).

There are some trees along the back of the track.

All in all, I really enjoyed this walk. It provides something unique for the local people, something for all fitness abilities. There are some treed areas down the back that might be nice for a picnic on a nice day and the views are really interesting. I’ll definitely be popping back to this nearby walk.

Westgate Park

Featured

Port Melbourne

I’ve been wanting to visit this park for ages, having viewed it from above on the Westgate Bridge many times. We were driving home from the airport and had some time, so decided to detour and have a look. I firstly went the wrong way, heading over the bridge instead of down Todd Road. So after crossing the Westgate Bridge in each direction I finally made it onto Todd Road and into the car park.

The Salt Lake at Westgate Park has been popular recently for its bright pink water, thanks to a rare occurrence with a special, single cell alga combined with a bacterium, described in the photo below. I had seen it’s pink hue whilst crossing the bridge a couple of times, but unfortunately it has now returned to its usual colour and is really just a murky lake.

Temporary sign explaining the pink lake at Westgate Park

We decided it didn’t matter, a walk is a walk and I’m always happy to discover new places. So we headed off to see what we could find. The first interesting thing we came across was an example of the bridge cross beam that you could climb up and have a look at. I found it fascinating, as I’ve always been interested in bridges and how they stay up. Kids younger than me would love to climb on it. Really little kids can’t get to the open part. Given that the park is largely there because of the bridge, it’s good to tie in some education using this interesting feature.

An example of the cross beam found on the bridge

We then headed off on the nearby path around the freshwater lake. There are a number of sculptures around the path, which are from Lyn Moore’s Earth Series. They are a combination of wood and concrete and I thought they fitted in beautifully in this natural, but also very commercial area.

There is no escaping the imposing sight of the Westgate Bridge as it looms over you; a constant reminder of its presence. Having never been underneath here from the Port Melbourne side before, it’s a really interesting view of the enormous construction. I really find bridges and engineering fascinating and it is incredible to look at it from a different perspective. The sheer enormity of it is impressive and it’s quite amazing knowing how much traffic crosses it each day. It is one of the highest roads in Australia, 58 metres up from the road and it is twice the length of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge carries five lanes of traffic each way, and you can hear the constant drone of traffic from below.

Westgate Bridge and the beginning of the Bay Trail.

Continuing on, we followed the Bay Trail towards the Yarra River, not far from where it meets Port Phillip Bay. It’s a pleasant and flat walk, although a lot of mulch is deposited which can have a strong smell. It’s the time of year for finding mushrooms and other funghi, so below are some pretty (probably poisonous) mushrooms I found. If you know what type of mushroom it is, let me know in the comments.

As we popped around a corner I noticed we could see the Scienceworks building on the other side of the river. I then noticed a mammoth coming in from the right. An enormous container ship, not even fully laden, was heading out to the bay. It looked amazing and I quickened my step so I could have a closer look. I like ships as much as I like bridges, so I was a little over excited for an adult. They are so enormous and interesting to watch. We stopped here for a while, and then continued on past along the river. We went as far as Sardine Street before turning back and walking the other way.

Container ship heading out to Port Phillip near the mouth of the Yarra River

On our way back we walked along an inner path closer to the bridge, then around the freshwater lake. There were more sculptures and a windmill. The park itself is great, with barbeques available and some grassy areas suitable for picnics. We were there on a sunny, winter Sunday and it wasn’t busy. There were a few families riding bikes and people walking around. It seemed a very safe place to be during the day. This would be a great place for a quick walk suitable for all abilities. To extend the walk, you could walk into the city along the river or take the punt across to the other side and walk towards Williamstown.

Tirhatuan Wetlands Conservation Reserve

Rowville

A beautiful, sunny, autumn day brought me to Tirhatuan Wetlands Conservation Reserve in Rowville. It is situated off Stud Road and is north west of Rowville Lakes Golf Course. It is not to be confused with Tirhatuan Park, which is south of the golf course. I entered from Police Road and parked at the end of Mindara Avenue, where there is an entrance to the park.

This walk was quite the adventure! I got a little lost and ended up walking six kilometres, with a little back and forth around the lake. The lake path itself is quite short, but I ended up walking around some nearby streets as well, to give myself a longer walk.

Starting around the lake, I walked to the end and struggled to see a sign showing me where I was, which was where I became confused. There was a map and sign where I entered, but the other entrances didn’t have any sigange.

You can see by the picture of the route I took, using Map my Walk on my phone, that I did a lot of back and forth. I was also a little confused because I was chatting to a friend on the phone and was a little distracted. I ended up walking across a raised causeway type grass path that had been freshly mowed. At the end of this path I realised I was at the back of the golf course. After checking my location on Google Maps, I worked out where I was and got back on track.

Looking at my map, and not being tired, I ventured further and walked along Illawarra Avenue until I came to the end. I thought there was a reserve there, but I was a little thrown because a lot of workmen and machinery was operating in the area. I had a little chat to a kind man working nearby and he told me I could get through, just to be mindful of the workers. So I ventured on along the path at the end of Illawarra Avenue. There is a dam wall that crosses Dandenong Creek, near where Dandenong and Corhanwarrbul Creeks merge. Following on from there I joined Dandenong Creek trail on the other side.

I was conscious of the fact that I wouldn’t easily be able to walk back to my car or do a loop now that I was on the other side of Dandenong Creek. To do a circuit of both the wetlands and Tirhatuan Park I would have had to walk several kilomteres back on to Stud Road to get back around. In retrospect I probably should have started on the other side, but then I wouldn’t have found the dam or the wetlands. And I do like a mystery walk! I will do the Dandenong Creek trail and Tirhatuan Park another time. I walked to where Royal Oak Court meets the other side of Police Road before turning around and walking back.

I walked back along the dam wall, crossing the creek again and then decided, since I wasn’t tired yet, that I would turn left and keep walking. I walked along the trail that overlooks the rest of the Tirhatuan Wetlands area and walked through an easement that led up to George Knox Drive. I was now walking along suburban streets. With a relatively long walk it can be good sometimes to break it up a little, and it felt walking along here that I was on my third walk for the day! There was a reasonably steep hill that I climbed and I enjoyed looking at the big homes tucked away in here. I did a circuit up to Seebeck Road and back down to Illawarra Avenue, where I had first left the wetlands. It was nice to have a proper footpath under my feet for a while.

Once I reached the park again near the wetlands entrance I walked back to my car to head home. There is a nice playground nestled in here, so if you have small children you could easily combine a more manageable short walk around the lake with a play at the playground. I suspect this is a playground largely only known to nearby locals, so plenty of room to play or sit. This was a really enjoyable walk and I will certainly come back and explore this area some more.

Walk details
Length: 6 kilometres
Date of walk: May 2019