Braeside Park

Nestled amongst golf courses, urban development and busy roads, it has the quality of an oasis. The park offers easy walking and cycling trails that meander through three very distinct environments -wetlands, heathland and red gum woodland. Things to see and do - bring your bike and explore the 7 kilometres of trails - bring a picnic and use the free electric barbecues, or BYO gas barbecue - see the old racetrack where the mighty Phar Lap ran in 1930-31 - try to identify different birds in the many wetlands and billabongs - call in and see the artist at work in the Art School - play on the award-winning adventure playground - go on a self-guided trail walk or observe the wildlife from the bird hide and observation decks - join in a night walk and see the park after dark Heritage The Bunurong people lived for many thousands of years in and around the area now called Braeside Park. Aboriginal scar trees can be found in the park. The first European family to settle here were the Keys, hence Keysborough. They ran cattle from 1844 to 1909. Their original homestead has been incorporated into the Southern Golf Club's clubhouse. Later, when the family sold the property, the land was developed for racehorse training and at one time was claimed to be the largest complex of its type in Australia. A sewage treatment plant, built in 1940, ran until 1980. When it closed, it presented an opportunity for a park to be developed in the area. Braeside Park opened in April 1989 with the completion of stage one of its development plan. For the latest information on track closures and park access, please see the Parks Victoria website. Be bushfire smart. Follow the Parks Victoria checklist before travelling.