Get to know Melbourne from the ground up

Get to know your city from the ground up. Enjoy a walk or run along the city’s diverse network of tracks and paths, visit our gardens and parks or use one of our self-guided walking brochures and explore Melbourne’s history and unique features as you go.

The City of Melbourne is a proud signatory to the International Walking Charter. We work with our local community to provide high quality, clean and safe parks, streetscapes and public spaces.

We encourage walking and help ensure our city is a place where walking is a desirable and enjoyable option.

 

Take a walk around the City of Melbourne – you’ll like what you find!

 

Self-guided walks

Towards the City

Our self-guided walk brochures help visitors explore Melbourne through the eyes of a local expert. Hidden treasures are revealed, parklands become a part of rich history and there are plenty of fascinating laneways, galleries and other curiosities along the way.

 

Visit That's Melbourne to view or download maps, brochures and more. You’ll also find plenty of ideas on what to see and do in the city at http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/

 

Walking tours

 

Explore the Fitzroy Gardens, find the latest city bars, come face to face with the city's haunted past, learn about feng shui, discover great works of art or get updated with an MP3 guided tour. Melbourne has walking tours to suit all tastes and budgets.

 

Visit That's Melbourne for more information.

 

Walking and jogging tracks

Walking and jogging track

Walking and jogging tracks are scattered throughout the City of Melbourne. A variety of surfaces, distances and gradients mean you can choose to challenge yourself or enjoy an easy stroll.

 

  • Fawkner Park (2.3 km or 2.5 km)
  • Fawkner Park/Shrine Reserve (6.2 km)
  • Fitzroy/Treasury Gardens (2.2 km)
  • Kings Domain/Tan Track (3.9 km)
  • Princes Park (2.09 km or 3.2 km)
  • Royal Park (3.8 km)
  • Royal and Princes parks (10.4 km)
  • Yarra Park (3.3 km)

 

Download our Walking and Jogging Tracks in the City of Melbourne brochure for more information – and some inspiration.

 

Parks

Park

Gardens with classic 19th century heritage features and majestic tree avenues.

A 170-hectare park with bushland and a wetland habitat.

An award-winning park with a modern aesthetic, adventure playground and Indigenous artwork.

 

It’s no wonder Melbourne’s parks and gardens attract more than 14 million visitors each year. Providing the backdrop for many events and fun activities, Melbourne’s open spaces always provide something to see and do.

  • Carlton Gardens 

The Carlton Gardens received a World Heritage listing in 2004. With beautifully planted flowerbeds, sweeping paths, stunning trees and views of the (also World Heritage listed) Royal Exhibition Building, these gardens are well worth a visit.

 

  • Birrarung Marr

Birrarung Marr, below Federation Square alongside the Yarra River, offers dramatic open spaces, sculptured terraces and a unique state-of-the-art playground.  Birrarung Marr is also the ideal setting for some of the city's best festivals and events.

 

  • Royal Park

Royal Park combines sports fields with open bushland and a scenic wetland, home to many native birds and other wildlife. Meandering paths lead you through a slice of countryside, right in the heart of the city.

 

  • Other parks to visit

Other city parks that are great for walking include the Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Park, Fitzroy Gardens and the Melbourne Zoo. Or consider a visit to Docklands for a fascinating waterfront walk.

 

Make a day of it

The City of Melbourne’s parks and gardens are for our community to enjoy. Park facilities include sporting pavilions and fields, barbecues, playgrounds and general areas for all sorts of recreational uses. Find out more about park facilities in the City of Melbourne.  

 

Park rangers patrol the parks, gardens and reserves to assist park visitors, assess the safety of park activities and to protect the parks.

 

Moving People and Freight

The City of Melbourne’s transport strategy, Moving People and Freight, outlines our long-term strategy for the city’s transport system. 

 

The strategy gives priority to pedestrians and cyclists, and looks at actions that will help ensure easy access to the city for residents, city workers, shoppers and visitors, as well as for businesses and freight, through to 2020.

 

As Melbourne continues to grow, the focus will grow on increasing the use of sustainable forms of transport – walking, cycling and public transport. Our ideal transport network will sustain our economic prosperity, our quality of life, and have minimal impact on the environment.

 

View the City of Melbourne’s transport strategy.