14
Dec
Seaford beach with kids

Seaford Foreshore Reserve, Seaford

Details

White sand, crystal blue waters and 5 kms of indigenous coastal bushland to walk along next to beach, makes Seaford Foreshore Reserve one of our favourite family friendly beaches in Melbourne to visit with kids! The beach is generally safe and shallow in calm conditions and provides a great spot for families to enjoy in summer when swimming and all year around for outdoor nature play activities.

Located south-east of Melbourne with easy access to the beach through ramps which are pram and disability friendly, car parking and toilet facilities, as well as BBQ’s and picnic tables are available at the pier car park and Keast Park.

Seaford Foreshore Reserve is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Bunurong (Boon Wurrung) People of the Kulin Nation.

TOP 5 ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH KIDS 

    1. Swimming! the water is shallow for 50m and kids can water play safely when weather and tide conditions are calm.
    2. Go for a bush walk through the coastal dune vegetation from Keast Park to Mile Bridge.
    3. Fishing from Seaford Pier
    4. Take your binoculars for some wonderful bird watching
    5. Grab some fish n chips for sinner and watch the spectacular sunsets

FLORA & FAUNA 

Seaford Foreshore is one of the oldest reserves in the Frankston area. It has a five kilometre stretch of parallel dunes with remnant indigenous coastal vegetation – creating an important habitat for many birds and reptiles. It shelters one of the best beaches on Port Phillip Bay and has the finest example of Coast Banksia Woodland in Melbourne.

Only very resilient grasses such as Hairy Spinifex and Blue Tussock-grass survive on the coastal fore dunes, which are exposed to the wind and salt spray. Their roots help bind the fragile dunes together, enabling other plants like Coast Tea-tree, White Correa and Coast Daisy-bush to survive. On the secondary dunes closer to the road there are Banksia Woodland, dominated by Coast Banksia and Coast Beard Heath.

Seaford Foreshore Reserve is rich in birdlife, with over 100 species either living in or using the reserve on their way to Kananook Creek or Seaford Wetlands. Fourteen species, including the Eastern Yellow Robin and Yellow Thornbill, have been observed to breed in the coastal vegetation, while Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos having been absent for decades have returned to regularly feed on seeds and hunt for grubs. More lizards can be found here than in many other regions in Victoria. Of particular interest is White’s Skink which is no longer found in the inner urban areas of Melbourne, having once been common

Reference- Frankston City council (https://images.impartmedia.com/discoverfrankston.com/AA_Operator_images/Seaford_Foreshore_Reserve_2018_1.pdf)

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

Eco Explorers runs Bush Playgroup at Seaford Foreshore and you can find out more about our nature playgroup programs here.

Location

Address:
Seaford Foreshore Reserve, Nepean Hwy, Seaford, Victoria, 3198, Australia

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Coburg Lake Park

Details

Location

Address:
Coburg Lake Park, Cnr Carr St & Convent Ct, Coburg North, Victoria, Australia

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28
Nov
Frankston bush walks with kids

Sweetwater Creek Reserve, Frankston

Details

Sweetwater Creek extends from the foothills of Frankston Reservoir to Port Philip Bay at the base of Olivers Hill. Thirteen hectares of remnant bushland surrounding the lower section of the creek is protected for its flora, fauna, geological and cultural heritage values. Walking tracks wind their way along the creek from swamps to steep gullies and floodplains to foothills.

Reference (Frankston City Council)

Lookouts, bridges and seats provide resting points where you can stop, look and listen for birdlife and frogs. “The Granites” is a particularly beautiful spot where the creek has carved out its path around large rocky outcrops and boulders.

TOP 5 ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH KIDS 

      1. Walk along the picturesque walking paths and boardwalks, and enjoy views of the creek, waterfalls and bushland.
      2. Look and listen for birdlife and frogs
      3. Dip your feet in the water in summer when the creek is shallow. Always check the depth first and wear study, no slip shoes
      4. Walk to Olivers Hill Lookout
      5. Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Don’t forget to download your FREE Eco Explorers Nature Scavenger Hunt here

Eco Explorers runs Bush PlaygroupBush Kids, Forest School and School Holiday programs at Sweetwater Creek Reserve.

 

 

 

 

 

Location

Address:
Sweetwater Creek Nature Reserve, 10 Parkside Grove, Frankston south, Victoria, 3199, Australia

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07
Jun

Grants Picnic Ground, Dandenong Ranges

Details

Huge old trees, fresh crisp air and birds galore, that’s what we love about Grants Picnic Ground in the Dandenong Ranges. Located 41km east of Melbourne and well worth the drive to get out of suburbia. This stunning location in Sherbrooke Forest is home to some of the most carbon dense forest still around and the most common tree you will see is the Mountain Ash, it’s the tallest flowering plant in the world. It’s also home to some pretty amazing bird life, it’s popular with cockatoos, rosellas, kookaburras and if your lucky you might even see a lyrebird!

There are a number of fabulous walking tracks starting from the picnic grounds to enjoy as well as toilet facilities, BBQ shelters and picnic area, as well as a cafe – Grants on Sherbrooke Café where you can purchase food, drinks and souvenirs.

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

Eco Explorers runs Bush Playgroup at Grants Picnic Ground in the Dandenong Ranges and you can find out more about our nature playgroup programs here.

 

 

 

Location

Address:
70 Monbulk Rd,, Kallista, Victoria, 3791, Australia

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29
Mar
Visit rockpools with kids - Melbourne

Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, Williamstown

Details

Jawbone Marine Sanctuary is a 20 minute drive south-west from the city of Melbourne, located on the west side of Port Phillip Bay, on the traditional lands of the Bunurong People of the Kulin nation. It is a protected Marine Park  where the biodiversity of the area is maintained by prohibiting removal of any species living there, through fishing or collecting activities. It is named ‘jawbone’ due to the shape of the park resembling its namesake.

Historically, the area from Werribee to Williamstown (which includes the Sanctuary), was a rich fishing and shellfish collecting area for the Bunerong people.  It became a rifle range in the mid 1800s and continued as such for 110 years.  Due to the nature of the range’s activities, fishing and boating were not allowed, ensuring the local flora and fauna were well preserved and continued to be once the rifle range was decommissioned and the land turned over to the government, converting it into the Sanctuary.

Now the Sanctuary is a wonderful place to visit for humans as well as many migratory water bird species, not to mention the myriad of water and shore creatures that call it their home.

TOP 5 ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH KIDS 

      1. Ramble along the many rock pools accessible at low tide, searching for crabs, sea stars and different kelp species. Don’t forget to download your set of rockpool ramble ID cards that we have developed, especially for Ricketts Point Sanctuary.
      2. Take a walk along the boardwalk through the mangroves, keeping your eye out for sea and shorebirds, reptiles, lichen and algae..
      3. Have a dip in the gentle waters of the Sanctuary on a hot day, or a play in the shallows, building castles in the sand.
      4. Visit the bird hide on the west side of the Sanctuary, where you can view water birds in their natural habitat without them seeing you. You can purchase a downloadable copy of our seabirds bird scavenger hunt printables here.
      5. Walk, run or cycle along the bayside trail from Williamstown to the east to Altona to the west or further!

Rockpooling with kids

FLORA & FAUNA INFORMATION 

Jawbone Marine Sanctuary is a hugely diverse area comprising grasslands, wetlands, saltmarshes and mangrove conservation areas.  As a result there are so many different flora and fauna species living here.

The wetlands offer habitat for sea and shorebirds in addition to the sanctuary waters and sand.  Here you will see swans, many duck species, grebes, pelicans, cormorants, herons and swamp hens nesting, hunting for food and swimming.

The mangrove conservation area is unique in that it is the only Victorian one growing on a basalt coast, this coastline being the end of the western basalt plains.  Mangroves are important habitat for sea and shore birds.  There are also many seagrass beds and mudflats, and the basalt reefs support populations of fish, invertebrates and algae.  Further along the western side of the sanctuary are also ship wreck locations.

Rockpools host many intertidal animals that you may get to glimpse, such as crabs, sea stars, limpets as well as fauna like sea lettuce, neptune’s necklace and washed ashore bull kelp.

Visit Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care Group to learn more about the species protected here and the activities that occur to continue this important work https://www.jawbone.org.au/

References https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/jawbone-marine-sanctuary

Eco Explorers runs Bush Kids nature programs at Jawbone Marine Sanctuary in Williamstown. Find out more here: https://www.ecoexplorers.com.au/bush-kinder-program 

You can find more about the incredible marine creatures that live at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary using our rockpool ID cards and enjoy a rockpool ramble this summer. This stunning set of 24 hand illustrated rockpool identification cards have been designed locally incorporating common marine animals found in the Port Philip bay.

  

Location

Address:
29 Sandpiper Pl,, Williamstown, Victoria, Australia

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