Best parks and green spaces in Melbourne

Melbourne's parks range from the formal Victorian-era gardens of the inner city to the fern-gully forest of the Dandenong Ranges 45 minutes east. Here are the green spaces that define Melbourne's outdoor life.

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria — the 38-hectare garden on the south side of the Yarra is Melbourne's finest civic space. The ornamental lake, the oak lawn, and the heritage collection of rare trees create an environment that rewards the slow visit more than the purposeful one. The free Sunday morning meditation and yoga programs have been running for decades.

Fitzroy Gardens — the formal Victorian garden in East Melbourne contains Captain Cook's Cottage (transported from England in 1934), the fairy tree, and the conservatory that makes it a destination for the families who live within walking distance of the CBD.

Dandenong Ranges — the Sherbrooke Forest, the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, and the mountain ash forest of the Dandenong Ranges National Park create Melbourne's most complete nature escape. Puffing Billy's steam railway through the ranges adds the heritage tourism dimension that the natural environment supports.

Yarra River corridor — the cycling and walking paths from Fairfield to the city via Studley Park Boathouse and the Yarra Bend provide 25 kilometres of continuous green corridor through Melbourne's inner eastern suburbs, connecting the city's parkland assets in a linear experience that few cities can replicate.

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