Blackburn Creeklands (Blackburn)

The Blackburn Creeklands park consists of three continuous bushland reserves along Gardiners Creek: Blacks Walk, Kalang Park and Furness Park - featuring wetlands, two creeks, three playgrounds, walking tracks and more than 90 species of bird life.

The playgrounds are located in the west, south and east.

The reserves form a green corridor featuring a delightful mixture of both bushland and open space areas. The creeklands helps preserve the local environment whilst providing opportunities for a variety of recreational and educational activities. The three parks cover a total area of approx 21 hectares, extending 1.4km from Middleborough Rd in the west to Blackburn Rd in the east.

Blacks Walk - The western end of Blackburn Creeklands features walking tracks through areas of remnant bushland, meandering creek and an open grassy area. It's a great place to stroll and listen to birds or just relax. A fantastic view over the treetops is afforded by a short walk to the top of the grassy hill in the west of the park. The bushland in this park features many majestic eucalypts with nesting hollows that provide homes for the commonly seen parrots.

Kalang Park - Of the three parks within the Blackburn Creeklands, Kalang Park is the largest. Stretching almost 1km from Pakenham to Main Streets, with an area of approximately 9 hectares, this park holds an abundance of features to explore. Accessed through a large network of gravel tracks and narrow pathways along both sides of the creek, the northern section of Kalang Park is largely indigenous bushland. Glimpses are possible of tawny frogmouths in the crook of any of the large mature eucalypts and galahs and kookaburras can be heard in the trees above. In the billabong are frogs and in spring, this is a great place to sit and watch the wood ducks swimming with their ducklings. South of the creek there are opportunities for passive and active recreation. These are open grassed areas for sport and activities such as kite flying, as well as revegetated pockets to explore. After rainfall, the ephemeral wetlands depressions that skirt the southern pathway hold water and create a unique and interesting environment.

Furness Park - East of Main Street, this park forms part of the Whitehorse Heritage Trail and features a great playground and walking tracks. Perceived as 'healthy place to live' in 1910, Blackburn was home to 'Open Air School' that was situated overlooking Furness Park. Children from poorer backgrounds took the train to Blackburn Station to attend the school receiving a healthier food and a chance to bask in the sun to increase their Vitamin D intake. The school closed in 1963. An interpretive panel offering historic anecdotes is located on the western boundary of the park.

Review:

We started at the parking area in Pakenham Street and headed east along a gravel path with a creek on one side. The creek becomes a concrete water channel further along. After crossing Main Street you get to a playground in Furness Park which is a big wooden structure with a nice big plastic comfy chair swing, shaded seats and water tap. Overall a nice walk. After heading back to the car parking area we headed west to the Blacks Park area which has some open areas and a few bridges crossing the creek. There is a nice wooden playground on the north side of the creek.

Blackburn Creeklands (Blackburn)

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