Westerfolds Park by the Yarra River is situated beside the Yarra River in Templestowe and offers over 120 hectares of parkland perfect for picnicking, cycling, walking and canoeing.
As a Parks Vic tour operator, Eco Explorers runs Bush Playgroup, Bush Kids, Forest School and School Holiday programs at Westerfolds Park.
Ancient River Red Gums, impressive Oaks and remnant fruit trees along the winding path of our bountiful Birrarung (Yarra River), make Banksia Park one of the many fabulous reserves that make up the Yarra Valley Parklands and a favourite for families in Melbourne. With a huge expanse of bushland, walking tracks and picnic areas to explore, it’s a fantastic location to head to for the day with your family.
Located off Templestowe Road in Bulleen, it has a fascinating history of both First Nation and colonial significance. Banksia Park is situated on the land of the Wurundjeri People, and has evidence throughout the park of their habitation. Scar trees and stone tools have been found in the area and a map with the location of a magnificent scar tree can be found here
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FLORA & FAUNA INFORMATION
The river is a source of fish and shellfish, and the lands surrounding the river are home to kangaroos and possums, all of which are of key importance to the Wurundjeri life style. The loop walking track is dotted with information pillars which tell of the Colonial history of the area – first inhabited by Europeans in the early 1840’s as a link from Melbourne to the less populated north eastern regions. A punt was built on the river to provide access to and from the city, and a flour mill was established on the banks of the river.
The park has a wonderful combination of open grassy areas (perfect for picnics and kite flying), beautiful River red gums, Manna gums and many wattles abound. She Oaks beckon yellow-tailed black cockatoos. What we also love about this reserve is the diversity of fauna. Not only is there a beautiful array of native plants and trees, but there is also a grove of Cherry trees, some monumental Oak trees that are perfect for climbing, and a variety of other deciduous trees that provide fabulous Autumn leaf litter.
Throughout the park there are also wood-fired BBQ’s and picnic tables – it’s a beautiful location!
Don’t forget to download your FREE Eco Explorers Nature Scavenger Hunt here to take with you!
Eco Explorers runs a Forest School program on Thursdays and bush playgroup nearby at Westerfolds Park on Fridays.
Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary is a magically unique reef located at Flinders Ocean Beach. When the tide is low a huge mushroom shaped reef is revealed, with an abundance of sheltered bays and pools to explore the diverse array of marine life. The best time to explore the sanctuary is at low tide so be sure to check out Willy Weather for tide times here.
Visiting Mushroom Reef Sanctuary with kids is a great opportunity to slow down and discover all the wonderful marine creatures that call it home. As you walk down the beach towards the rockpools you will discover over 15 different species of seaweed and kelp. I wonder who lives amongst them in the ocean? Keep and eye out for some hooded plovers but remember to give them some space as they frighten easily and we don’t want them to abandon their nests.
Once on the rockpools, keep an eye out for crabs, sea stars, sea urchins and other creatures. The further out you walk on the rockpools you will find that there will be different creatures hiding amongst the rocks. A beautiful way to observe how small changes in environments can provide homes for a myriad of life.
You can identify marine creatures in the rockpools using our rockpool ID cards that you can download HERE.
Remember that Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary is a sanctuary, this means that it is protected. When visiting some things to remember are; don’t take anything home with you, do not use nets or buckets when finding creatures in the pools and be careful where you step. We want to keep this beautiful environment safe and sound.
Eco Explorers runs a beach playgroup at Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary on Thursday mornings in term 1 2024. Find out more information or book your spot here.
See our full Mornington Peninsula bush and beach kids programs for 2024 HERE.
Edendale Community and Environment Farm, located in Eltham North provides an interactive community and education centre to support sustainable living practices for the whole community. You will also meet various farm animals such guinea pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, and goats.
CERES is an award winning, not-for-profit, sustainability centre and urban farm located on 4.5 hectares on the Merri Creek in East Brunswick. CERES is a place for community-based learning and action to create environmentally beneficial, socially just, economically satisfying, culturally enriching and spiritually nurturing ways of living together. Our Eco Explorers nature based events are held at the African village.
Organ Pipes National Park, located off the Calder Fwy in Melbourne’s West suburb of Keilor North. The Organ Pipes, a set of basalt columns formed by the cooling and cracking of molten lava, are the most well known feature of the park. The area offers a wonderful and diverse location for our bush playgroups with wildlife to spot, a river to explore and environmental centre. There is a steep paved hill that you need to walk down to access the park which is pram friendly. We take the walks slowly for young children and stop along the way but you do need to be relatively fit to walk the tracks.
Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary in Beaumaris is part of the Bunurong (Boon Wurrung) Peoples of the Kulin Nations Sea Country and is a significant site with middens, fresh water wells, ochre pits and special gatherings places for women and children. (Reference: https://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-10/coastal_trails_indigenous.pdf)
This area now protected under Parks Victoria from the high tide mark to 500m out to sea, and stretching 3km between Black Rock and Beaumaris, is a unique place to visit. Clear shallow waters (less than 5m deep in most areas), rocky reefs beneath the water and intertidal rockpools filled with sea snails and crabs make Ricketts Point the perfect place to discover the marine life of Port Phillip Bay. Please tread carefully if you walk on the platforms and reefs and avoid the sensitive seagrass meadows that serve as nursery habitats for many species.
TOP 5 ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH KIDS
FLORA & FAUNA
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.
Eco Explorers runs school holiday and term based programs at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary in Beaumaris and you can find out more about our nature playgroup programs here.
As a Parks Vic tour operator, Eco Explorers runs Bush Playgroup, Bush Kids, Forest School and School Holiday programs at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary.
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Lysterfield Park is truly an oasis nestled in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and offers our little explorers the chance to explore both bush and water play.
Gresswell Forest Wildlife Reserve is just that, a forest in suburbia! Located in Melbourne’s north-east suburb of Macleod. This forest location provides children and their families the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature as it’s bush all the way! There will be a fair bit of kangaroo and wildlife spotting along the many tracks, a creek, nature cubby’s and logs to climb and balance on.
The Gresswell Nature Conservation Reserves, made up of Gresswell Forest, Gresswell Hill and Gresswell Habitat Link, protect 70 hectares of important flora and fauna habitat. Experience the area’s diverse vegetation and abundant wildlife on the reserves’ many walking trails, and explore this precious pocket of wilderness in Melbourne’s north-east.
Gresswell Forest Nature Conservation Reserve is the largest of the three Nature Conservation Reserves. Here you’ll find remnant River Red Gum woodland that’s home to many different bird and animal species.
Gresswell Forest is perfect for families to enjoy together. In addition to the Nature Play area, the tracks are easy for young children to manage. In the early mornings and evenings, the forest is a cacophony of bird calls.
Newport Lakes Reserve is a beautiful 33 ha bushland reserve in the suburb of Newport, in Melbourne’s inner west and and is on the unceded land of the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation.
Once a bluestone quarry and refuse tip it is now a conservation site and provides sanctuary for a wide range of native wildlife. As soon as you enter the reserve, you leave the hustle and bustle of the city only 12 kms away.
There are picnic shelters and BBQs, a small playground, toilets and a dog off-lead area but the real highlight is the lake itself and the wonderful walking tracks that are easy for families with young kids to do. The 2km nature trail takes you around the lakes, along meandering pathways and through the gum trees. It can take approximately 40 minutes but who’s counting when you’re walking in nature! You might see a local blue tongue lizard or superb fairy wren hopping along the path.
Once you get to the bottom at the lakes, there are enormous bluestone stepping stones inviting you to cross over to the other side. It’s a great adventure for adults and children alike! And there’s an information board which lists all the wildlife that you will find in the wetlands.
The park is open from 8am-7pm (daylight savings 9pm) and there is also a native nursery near the carpark which sells a range of local native plants.
Newport Lakes Reserve has over 200 species of native plants and 165 species of birds, as well as reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Not to mention the plethora of insects and water bugs that keep the omnivorous birds well-fed.
Eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas are the most common trees found here, offering homes to possums and birds such as magpies, wrens and New Holland Honeyeaters. Water plants such as bull rush, thin duck weed and sedge provide food and safe nesting spots for Eurasian Coots, Pacific Black Ducks, Black Swans, Grebes and Cormorants.
The rocky areas and cliffs see Blue Tongue Lizards, Skinks and Tiger Snakes finding refuge.
Visit Friends of Newport Lakes for more information about the local flora and fauna
Eco Explorers runs bush playgroup in Newport on Mondays and Fridays and a bush kids forest school on Mondays which you can find more information about on our website here.
