Churchill National Park — Attraction in Melbourne

Churchill National Park, located in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, remains an example of the original landscape found in the region before clearing and settlement took place. Although most of the park is open regrowth woodland, there are small areas of original forest. Churchill National Park and the adjoining Lysterfield Park take in much of the southern side of the Lysterfield Hills. Both parks are home to a variety of native birds, mammals and reptiles.

Park hours

The park is open from 10:30am to 4:00pm all year.

Getting here

The main entrance to Churchill National Park is off Churchill Park Drive (Melway 82 C11) and the entrance to Lysterfield Park is from Horswood Road (Melway 108 D2).

Things to see and do

Churchill National Park offers excellent opportunities for walking, cycling, water sports and barbecuing. The Eastern Boundary Tracks are ideal for peaceful walks, jogging and cycling. Visitors to the park may be lucky enough to spot parrots, honeyeaters, wrens, thornbills, grebes, pelicans, cockatoos and even the migratory Japanese snipe. At night, you may catch a glimpse of a wallaby or a kangaroo. Cycling Cyclists can enjoy riding the Commonwealth Games Bike Track and associated recreational trail system, but must take note of signs restricting access for bicycles to some tracks, and must be wary of walkers on tracks at all times. Walking There are a number of planned walking routes below to suit all visitors: A pleasant short walk leads from Lysterfield Lake picnic area to the dam wall. For safety reasons, please do not climb on the wall or dislodge rocks protecting it; stick to the track on top. An 8km walk takes you around Lysterfield Lake and across the dam wall, following the Acacia Nature Trail, Casuarina Track, Lake Track and the trail through the conservation zone to Logan Park Road. From there, follow Logan Park Road or Lake Track back to the main picnic area. For the more adventurous, a 6.4km walk (including return to the carpark) takes you up to Trig Point Lookout to enjoy spectacular 360° views of Melbourne. From the carpark at Churchill National Park, walk along Channel Track and continue along when it becomes Stonemasons Track and Lysterfield Hills Track. This track will lead you straight to the top of the hill. Water sports Swimming is permitted within the two swimming bays at Lysterfield Lake, however the water can be quite murky and is not patrolled, so children should be supervised at all times. Non-powered boating is permitted on the lake, except at the northern, eastern and south eastern extremities for the protection of swimmers and waterbird habitat. Sailing is permitted in monohull boats up to 5 metres long and multi-hull boats up to 4.3 metres long. There is a local sailing club which welcomes new members. Canoeing, rowing and sailboarding are also permitted, but the number of boats on the lake at any one time may be controlled. Please note that powerboats are not permitted on the lake at any time.

Facilities

At the entrance to Churchill National Park you will find barbecue facilities (gas and electric), a picnic shelter, picnic tables, toilets and a visitor information centre. At Lysterfield Lake, visitors have access to toilets and boat rigging facilities. Visitors with limited mobility can enjoy Churchill National Park and the adjoining Lysterfield Lake Park. Both parks have ramped access and accessible toilets. Please note there is no off-road vehicle access, and all vehicles must park in designated parking bays. There are no camping facilities at this park.

Dogs

Dogs and other pets are not permitted in the park.

Aboriginal Traditional Owners

Parks Victoria acknowledges the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Victoria - including its parks and reserves. Through their cultural traditions, Aboriginal people maintain their connection to their ancestral lands and waters. Further information is available from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria AAV and Native Title...

The Churchill National Park is a national park located in the Greater Melbourne region of Victoria, Australia. The 271-hectare (670-acre) national park is situated 31 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Melbourne adjacent to the suburb of Lysterfield South, which lies between Rowville and Endeavour Hills in the far north of the City of Casey. The national park is near the Monash Freeway and Stud Road. When combined with the adjacent Lysterfield Park, the two parks comprise 1,668 hectares (4,120 acres) in the Dandenong Valley and the Dandenong Ranges that are a haven for native birds, mammals and reptiles, and provide recreational opportunities.

Established on 12 February 1941 as the Dandenong National Park, the park was renamed in 1944 in honour of Sir Winston Churchill.

There are tracks throughout the Churchill National Park for walking, cycling and jogging. One recommended walking track for a very peaceful walk is Channel Track, surrounded by thick woodland and it runs beside the old aqueduct. The eastern boundary track is particularly good for cycling and jogging. Bird watching is spectacular within the park especially by the dam along the northern boundary track.

The picnic ground has gas barbecues, a unisex toilet and a shelter. Picnic grounds are provided on the end of the access road.

Churchill National Park is famous for its 173 different species of birds, such as the Australian wood duck and the Pacific black duck. Most mammals are only active at night, so if you arrive early or leave late, you might be lucky enough to see one, such as echidnas, wallabies and kangaroos. Echidnas are also active during the day, searching for ants and grubs in the ground.

The park that is now Churchill National Park was once the police corps headquarters for blacktrackers and provided grazing land for the police horses. Many years later it was known as the Dandenong Police Paddocks. In the 1920s, metropolitan development brought some change to the parklands, which was still known as Police Paddocks. Local stone was dug up for road metal and building material, a water supply channel was cut to Dandenong, and the State Electricity Commission obtained a power line easement. Fire and the clearing of the area took place. In 1939 the area was set aside as the Dandenong National Park, gazetted in February 1941, and later renamed Churchill National Park in 1944.

An old quarry is located in the north west corner of the park, remains of the associated tramway and crusher foundations are still visible. The tramway was known as the Scoresby Tramway. The tramway was used to transport crushed rock from the quarry, it was constructed by the Dandenong Shire Council in 1912. The wagons travelled by gravity for most of the distance, when the topography leveled out, horses were used to draw the waggons. The quarry operated for approximately three years, the tramway was removed after the cessation...

Have been numerous times with the kids, always on the lookout for kangaroos or wallabies. The trails are enough to offer a challenge for those so inclined (bike or walking), but also some easy loops from the carpark when little ones are in tow.

Every time we've seen some cool wildlife, kangaroos, wallabies, black cockatoos, a rat (not sure it was meant to be there and was rather sluggish), rosellas, superb fairy wrens, along with frogs croaking and the occasional lizard scuttling off.

Facilities are minimal, a toilet block and BBQ area, but please, take your garbage with you. Nothing disappoints me more than dumped garbage from...