Feel an instant calm as you leave the city hustle behind and step into the spectacular Australian bushland known as Yarra Bend Park. A mere 4 km northeast of Melbourne’s CBD and located on Wurundjeri land, Yarra Bend Park located in Kew is the largest area of natural bushland left in inner Melbourne. Known for hosting the city’s famous grey-headed flying fox colony, as well as many fun outdoor and adventurous activities for your little explorer such as canoeing, birdwatching, Kane’s Bridge, historical sites and dog walking.

Due to the deep Indigenous cultural connection to the land around the Yarra Bend river, this park was now of State-level historical and archaeological significance under the Heritage Act 2017, after already being an Aboriginal place of significance and protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.

Arguably the parks best known feature, the artificial weir was built in the 1840s to provide water to the Ceres Flour Mill, one of the first in Victoria. The falls were later to become known as Dights Falls after the owners of the mill.

TOP 5 ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY WITH KIDS!

1. 1. Take a walk (or bike ride) along Loop track to the spectacular Dight falls (3.2km, 1 hours return) from Studley park Boathouse.
   2. Head to Bellbird Picnic Area and check out the adorable, ecologically significant and Australian famous grey headed flying foxes! With a nationally important and impressively large permanent roost located at Bellbird park, easy to access via car and an easy paved walk at 500m, 20 minutes return (although parts are quite steep!) Find out more here.
   3. Walk over Kane’s Bridge from Studley Park and have a picnic with your family at Lower Loop Picnic Area which can also be accessed via Yarra Bend Rd. There are electric barbecues, shelters, toilets, drinking fountain and a playground, making it an ideal picnic spot.
   4. Hire a canoe at the boathouse and see the natural scenery leisurely from the river itself. More info here and boat price list here.
   5. Stop for a milkshake and enjoy the views at the restored Edwardian Studley Park Boathouse cafe.

FLORA & FAUNA INFORMATION 

Yarra Bend Park contains some of the last stands of original bushland in inner Melbourne. A total of approximately 320 indigenous plants have been recorded in the park of which more than 100 species are considered to be of local, regional or state significance. Head to Kane’s Bridge and see if you can spot a platypus or water rat and a number of bat and reptile species on your bush walk. Birds commonly seen in Yarra Bend Park include the Rainbow Lorikeet, Red-rumped Parrot and if you are lucky, theYellow-tailed Black Cockatoo!

Don’t forget to download your FREE Eco Explorers Nature Scavenger Hunt here to take with you!

Eco Explorers runs Bush Playgroup at Yarra Bend Park and you can find out more about our nature playgroup programs here.