Melbourne’s 5 Most Beautiful Parks

Melbourne is renowned for its beautiful parks, the wild flora and fauna and the vast spaces make Melbourne parks special, something entirely unique for tourists to experience and something so picturesque for locals to enjoy. Whether it is the streets of suburbia or the bustling footpaths in the CBD, you can bet a stunning display of Mother Nature will just be around the corner. The perfect outlet from the stresses of everyday life, you don’t need to hop onto the next airplane to get your next dose of tranquility.

Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens
With the nearby city skyline rising above the canopy of the exotic trees, the Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens is one of the best ways to bask in the magnificent beauty of Mother Nature less than five minutes out from the heart of Melbourne. If you happen to reside or work in the city, these gardens could become your haven for passing the time, resting calmly on the luscious green lawns or exploring the unusual species of flora in the many walking paths. The gardens offer rainforest walks, guided tours and during the warmer months, outdoor cinema and theatre performances. What continually amazes me is the silence of the gardens, only a five minute tram ride outside the centre of Melbourne the only sounds that can be heard are the trickling of water from the nearby lakes and ponds, the excited chirping of birds and the fresh air rushing through the trees.

Fitzroy Gardens
26 hectares of spectacular natural beauty, again, only a five minute walk from the centre of Melbourne, this time towards the East. The Fitzroy gardens are a common location for wedding photos and Sunday picnics. This park attracts over 2 million visitors every year and has been crowned as one of Melbourne’s top tourist attractions. A wonderful display of trees changing colour and texture as the seasons pass make these gardens something to look forward to always. A common attraction within the park is James Cook’s cottage, the discoverer of the East Australian Coast.

Alexandra Gardens
Another of the many parks resting just outside the fringe of the Melbourne CBD. We are really spoilt for choice in this great city! With many sweeping lawns and magnificent pockets of star-shaped garden beds representing the Federation of Australia, this park must be included on your list of attractions to visit. Just across from the National Gallery of Victoria, neighboring the Yarra River and connected to the Royal Botanic Gardens, why not end a day of sightseeing with an evening stroll through the majestic pathways of these gardens.

Brimbank Park
Tucked away in the north-western Melbourne suburb of Keilor is a park unknown to many Melbournians. Providing plenty of picnic shelters, an abundance of bicycle and walking tracks and even it’s own wetlands vicinity, Brimbank Park is one of suburbia’s most iconic parks. The Maribyrnong River flows through the park setting the scene for a peaceful walk along the river on a weekend.

Ruffey Lake Park
The magnificent Ruffey Lake is central to this park with many trails and wetland boardwalks stemming from the Lake. Around the lake are vast lawns dotted with a mixture of native and exotic trees, it is family friendly with many picnic shelters and playgrounds- it is simply a great location for a peaceful afternoon. Located in Doncaster, the park is an astonishing 68 hectares, there is always a trail left unexplored or a hidden pocket of the park unseen.