Brimbank Park, Melbourne: Walks, playground and wildlife
Brimbank Park in Keilor East, Melbourne, offers wildlife-packed walking trails, the impressive Brimbank Park Playscape and great birdwatching.
Brimbank Park is one of the largest parks in Melbourne. It sprawls out along the Maribyrnong River valley in the north of the Victorian capital, surrounded by underwhelming suburbs such as Keilor East, Keilor Park and Kealba.
Brimbank Park is managed as a State Park by Parks Victoria, and is part of the Maribyrnong Valley Parklands along with Horseshoe Bend Farm. It’s on the 903 bus route, too.
14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne
- Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
- See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
- Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
- A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
- The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
- Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
- Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
- Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
- Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.
Brimbank Park walking trails
There are plenty of walking trails within Brimbank Park. The main trail is part of the Maribyrnong River Trail, which extends as far as the Footscray neighbourhood near the confluence with the Yarra River. The section within Brimbank Park is 4.3km long and loops round as a circuit.
The other key walk in the park is the Australian Plant Trail. This is flanked by dozens of colourful plant species – it’s like a mini-botanic gardens.
Brimbank Park playground
The Brimbank Park Playscape is another impressive attraction. The Brimbank Park Playscape is more than just a kids’ playground, and much of it has been designed to make it accessible for children in wheelchairs. Highlights include a hammock, accessible sandpit, build-it-yourself house and colourful murals.
There’s also an attempt to share Aboriginal stories through the artwork, sculptures and Bunjil The Creator climbing nest.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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Birdwatching in Keilor East, Melbourne
For grown-ups, however, the appeal of Brimbank Park is likely to lie in the wildlife. Native Australian creatures spotted in Brimbank Park include echidnas, swamp wallabies and brush-tail possums. It’s the birdlife that’s most prodigious, however. You don’t have to try too hard to see peregrine falcons, parrots, galahs, herons and rosellas.
Another key advantage to Brimbank Park is its location in north Melbourne, near the Watergardens shopping centre and Organ Pipes National Park. It’s very close to Melbourne Airport, if you need somewhere to hang out for a couple of hours before a flight. It’s also along the main driving routes from Melbourne to Mildura, Melbourne to Bendigo and Melbourne to Echuca.
More Victoria travel
Where to buy a Myki card in Melbourne.
When is the best time to see penguins on Phillip Island?
Enjoy the coastal walks of Cape Conran, East Gippsland.
See Wannon Falls and Nigretta Falls just off the Glenelg Highway near Hamilton.
Tread the white sands of Squeaky Beach near Tidal River.