Tirhatuan Park Walk (Dandenong North)

Tirhatuan Park is a lovely open space park which forms part of the Dandenong Creek vegetation corridor, providing important habitat for our native flora and fauna. The Dandenong Creek bike and walking trail meanders through the relaxing natural surrounds of the 20 hectare park, which includes two lakes, a wetland, boardwalks and beautiful bushland.

Things to do

Walk along the extensive path network
Go for a ride along the Dandenong Creek bike trail
See Ian Harrison's artwork 'Spreading the Message' - Walk south along the Dandenong Creek Trail towards Stud Road (approximately 350 metres from the car park)
Fly a kite
Have a barbeque
Enjoy the fantastic district playground
Use the outdoor gym equipment
Take your dog to the dog off-leash area (must remain on a lead everywhere else). There is a separate off-leash area for small breed dogs only as well as a large communal area.
Enjoy the public art display, Waterkite
Environmental events are held regularly in the park, including tree planting days, frog watch and the Discover Dandenong Creek Festival

Review:

In the northern part of the park there is a fenced dog off leash area. Nearby is a nice playground with a lot of equipment, tables, barbecues and toilets.

Tirhatuan Park Walk (Dandenong North)

Head out to the big grassy area with an outdoor gym circuit. Then continue south to a lake which has a jetty with table. Continue south along the asphalt path past the larger lake. You pass another small playground where there is an unshaded table and a bin.

Tirhatuan Park Walk (Dandenong North)

Follow the path and the Dandenong Creek Trail continues past Stud Road. Instead of crossing Stud Road, curve to the left and take the dirt path back beside Dandenong Creek. You'll pass the indigenous 'Spread the Message' artwork. Local Aboriginal artist Ian Harrison brings together a group of young people from the lands of the Kulin Nation to tell their stories and celebrate cultural identity. The artwork is comprised of eight re-purposed timber logs along the Dandenong Creek Trail. The City of Greater Dandenong has landscaped the area using indigenous ground cover plants to compliment the artworks.

Tirhatuan Park Walk (Dandenong North)

If you head left to the large lake over the boardwalk there is 'Water Kite' artwork in the lake which was designed and created by artists Velislav Georgiev & Victoria Roxburgh. It was selected by local residents as a sculpture to celebrate the parks many uses and to complement its natural beauty.

Tirhatuan Park Walk (Dandenong North)

Get back to the playground where there's a water tap with bowl next to the trail. Be alert for snakes during the summer period.

Map of Walk

Endangered Wetland

This reserve contains an area of 'Plains Grassy - Wetland' which is an Ecological Vegetation Class made up of grasses, sedges and indigenous herbs.

These plant communities - once widespread in this region - are now very rare as a result of draining, cattle grazing and development.

Wetlands are seasonal - flooded during the winter arid dry during the summer - encouraging an amazing diversify of animals and plants.

Frogs thrive in wetlands - mating, laying eggs and hatching tadpoles as soon as it rains. Their tadpoles are relatively safe because their natural predators, fish, are not common in wetlands.

Wetlands also provide feeding and nesting grounds for many large and small birds.

Plains Grassy Wetlands are areas of important biodiversity and it is essential they are protected. The City of Greater Dandenong recognises the endangered nature of these wetlands and manages them in a manner to preserve and enhance their distribution.

These are the ancestral lands of the peoples from the Kulin Nation

For thousands of years Aboriginal people have lived on these lands, raising their children, working in harmony with seasonal cycles and teaching the next generation their knowledge and ways. Water sources played a particularly important role in everyday life. Creeks such as Dandenong Creek were full of native trout, eels, turtles and wetland birds.

The adjacent flood plain would have had seasonal wetlands that provided ample food sources. Many of the plants that grow along this creek line can be harvested for food, used for utensils, tools and weapons or for medicine. The Kulin people hold an intimate knowledge of which plants can heal, those plants that are not edible and all the myriad of uses from basket weaving to canoe carving. This connection to the land extends beyond its source of food, shelter and tools., To this day they maintain a deep spiritual connection through many ongoing cultural practices.

Access for Dogs:

There is an excellent fenced dog park in the north and dogs are permitted on-leash in the remainder of the park.