Bird watching is an enjoyable way to discover nature and connect with the world around us. For optimal bird spotting experiences, early morning is ideal, after birds have had enough rest and are ready for breakfast.
Yarra Bend Reserve offers an abundance of habitats including wetlands and woodland. Crested Shrike-tit is commonly seen within wooded areas while Gang-gang Cockatoos visit in wintertime.
Yarra Bend Reserve
Yarra Bend Reserve is an idyllic native park situated close to Melbourne. Boasting steep river escarpments, open woodlands and golf courses – perfect for exploring on foot or bike; boating down the Yarra River; picnicking; fishing or simply admiring Melbourne’s city skyline from here!
Yarra Bend Park boasts an abundant biodiversity, comprising one of the last vestiges of original bushland in inner Melbourne. It serves as home for numerous important bird, bat, and mammal species as well as providing habitat types to support a range of habitat types and has been recognized as a key wildlife area with regional significance. Furthermore, the Park hosts one of Victoria’s highest diversity of indigenous plant species as well as offering representations of Victorian native grasslands (plains and valley grassy woodland).
Parks Victoria manages Yarra Bend Park northeast of Melbourne as an urban oasis with walking tracks, picnic areas, barbecues and rotundas – an urban paradise complete with walking tracks, picnic areas, barbecues and rotundas. Enclosed by 12 km of the Yarra River’s shores are wild river cliffs, open woodlands, golf courses and playing fields – even an historic boathouse stands as part of this large natural bushland area in inner Melbourne!
Yarra Bend Park contains many historic buildings and sites of historical importance, including Dights Falls – an artificial weir built in the 1840s to supply water for Dight Brothers flour mill, now popularly known as an impressive waterfall. There is a walking track leading directly to it via Kane’s Bridge; and further still there was once an asylum established there in 1848 before closing its doors in 1925, only remnants such as mature Elms and Moreton Bay fig trees still remaining as well as bluestone pillar near its entrance remain.
Chelsworth Park
Chelsworth Park in Ivanhoe, Victoria is an iconic public space offering visitors many activities such as walking, cycling and picnicking – not forgetting its playground and sports field – making this park a go-to spot for both tourists and locals looking to capture photos.
The park is also an ideal setting for families with young children, being near schools such as Ivanhoe Grammar School, Alphington Grammar School and Marcellin College as well as numerous restaurants, cafes and boutiques nearby. Ivanhoe Park and Wilson Reserve can also be found nearby.
This stroll through an immaculate park in Melbourne takes you through serene scenery, making for an excellent opportunity for all ages and fitness levels to get some physical exercise while taking in nature’s splendour. Additionally, its loop is well marked and can easily be navigated.
On the Yarra River floodplain, this reserve is home to the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. A popular sporting reserve with areas for cricket and tennis as well as playground equipment, picnic shelters, and barbecue pits. There are also historical remnants from its former use such as stone-lined drainage channels, an avenue of oak trees and billabongs dotted throughout.
The main Yarra Trail and Darebin Creek Trail run near this park, making it an ideal location for hiking and cycling. There’s also a large picnic area equipped with barbecues – perfect for enjoying a shady lunch under trees with breathtaking city skyline views!
Jells Park
Jells Park in Wheelers Hill is an expansive recreational space boasting many recreational features. Covering 129 hectares, its wet and dry forest provides a diverse ecosystem in which vegetation communities such as riparian trees such as Melaluca and Yellow Box flourish in wetlands and floodplains while higher elevations feature stringybark and Elm trees among many others.
There are nine kilometres of trails for walking and cycling in Dandenong Creek Park, such as the main Dandenong Creek Trail which runs north-south through it. Other multi-use paths in the park include Scotchmans Creek trail and Corhanwarrable wetlands path – making the park an important hub in Melbourne’s bike track network with connections to Knox/Blind Creek, Dandenong Creek and Eastlink trails.
Joseph Jell Park is named in honor of a cattle grazier who worked in the area between 1800 and 1830, when it first opened its doors in April 1976 and now sees over 900,000 visitors annually.
Jells Park is known for its incredible birdlife, boasting more than 150 native and migratory species. The lake provides habitat for waterbirds while there is even a bird hide on the east side of the lake for them!
There are various picnic areas within the park offering shelter, tables and barbecues, along with toilet facilities. Jells East, Stringybark, Elms Picnic areas all boast electric BBQ’s as well as picnic shelters; Elms Picnic offers wood fired BBQ’s as well as tables in an open setting – ideal for flying kites and playing frisbee. Dogs are allowed within the park but must always remain leashed along conservation areas or along the back of Lake Victoria.
Mallacoota
Mallacoota, situated in East Gippsland’s pristine coastal wilderness, is often known as Victoria’s Secret. However, during Christmas and Easter school holiday periods this small coastal village becomes one of the main hubs of holiday fun! Dotted with lighthouses – including Gabo Island! – Croajingolong National Park provides ample room to roam while epic hikes, stunning white sand beaches and rainforest pockets promise plenty of outdoor activity and adventures.
Bidawal tribe of Australia were inhabitants of this area for generations. Evidence of their occupation can be seen through large middens and artefacts located throughout Mallacoota Inlet district. Hunting, fishing and gathering food was part of daily life at Mallacoota Inlet; more modern visitors can now experience its natural beauty by hiking, kayaking, boating or cruising; camping is also possible through Beachcomber Caravan Park and Log Cabins.
Mallacoota Inlet features over 320 kilometers of shoreline and offers ideal conditions for sailing, canoeing, cruising and mooching around in boats. If fishing is on your agenda, local shops will be more than willing to assist with your needs. Mallacoota is famous for its oysters; roadside stalls sell them, or head up to Gipsy Point restaurant where fresh oysters await your enjoyment! Birdwatchers will delight at seeing sea eagles soaring overhead. Just north of Mallacoota lies Ben Boyd National Park which provides superb beaches as well as tranquil settings with stunning beaches!
Box Ironbark Forests
Box-ironbark forests (BiFor) in Central Victoria occupy flat to undulating landscapes on rocky, auriferous soils and provide essential wildlife habitat. BiFor is distinguished by a mix of Eucalypts including Yellow Box (E. tricarpa), Red Ironbark (E. oleracea), and Grey Box (E. microcarpa).
Researchers from ARI have recently conducted a decade long study and discovered that thinning of BiFor forests’ regrowth accelerates its rate of maturity while also restoring some old growth characteristics of its habitat. Thinning also provides nesting hollows for birds like Black-chinned Honeyeater, Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot who overwinter in Victoria BiFor country before returning back to Tasmania where their breeding grounds lie.
BiFor’s eucalypts bloom throughout the year, providing a steady source of nectar for birds such as honeyeaters and lorikeets to enjoy throughout their stay. This may explain why more honeyeaters and lorikeets live there than any other forest ecosystem.
Since European colonisation, 83% of BiFor has been cleared for agriculture, gold mining and urban development purposes. Of what remains today only approximately one fifth is located within conservation parks or reserves while the remainder exists on private land.
An early winter morning in a Box-ironbark forest can be stunningly breathtaking. When feeble rays of sun begin to penetrate frost or fog and illuminate its bright grey-green leaves, it is almost impossible not to be moved. At such moments woodland birds’ calls become especially poignant.