Woodlands Historic Park
Woodlands Historic Park
Woodlands Historic Park
4.6
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.6
16 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
7
Average
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Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,740 contributions
Apr 2023
This community park is well-know for the Eastern Bandicoot Sanctuary. The Eastern Bandicoot is regarded as a threatened native animal. Bandicoots are small to medium sized marsupials, which will eat almost anything. Woodland Park is home to the Parks Victoria Bandicoot Breeding Program. A concurrent project is to create giant bandicoots 25 meters square made of wildflowers. which will be seen by travelers landing and taking off from Melbourne Airport. The "Bandicoots on the Flight Path" will be created by local volunteers and students. It helps to publicize the little-known bandicoots and the Woodlands Historic Park
Written April 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Choolwe
Brisbane, Australia37 contributions
Sep 2022
I'm not interested in the food or coffee on offer.
I visit Living Legends to interact with the champion ex racehorses who reside here in their retirement.
This is why this place exists, ie to provide a home for these legends of horse racing.
These horses have owners and they pay for their agistment.
Thanks
I visit Living Legends to interact with the champion ex racehorses who reside here in their retirement.
This is why this place exists, ie to provide a home for these legends of horse racing.
These horses have owners and they pay for their agistment.
Thanks
Written October 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hollyishere
Melbourne, Australia18 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
We had driven past this place many times and thought we’d take a look. Good walking track... it takes about an hour to walk to the viewing point then onto the homestead at Living Legends before returning back to the main entrance. Easy walk with kangaroos along the way and lots of natural bushland. The homestead needs more signage from the walking trail entrance... but we managed to find our way alas. Spent a few minutes looking at the old house and grounds. Living legends tours are quite expensive but there is also scones and tea served in the house. Back near the car park, we had our picnic. Nice spot, would return again.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WFKtravels
321 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
Turn towards Sunbury as you exit the Tullamarine Airport and 7 minutes later you are parked at Woodlands Historic Park looking at paddocks filled with kangaroos and marvelling at the photo opportunities offered by kangaroos in the foreground as jets either take off or prepare to land overhead. Incredibly this park is free! I cannot recommend bringing your international visitors, who are jet-lagged and exhausted, here highly enough. The kangaroos are present in very large numbers and easy to see. They are not tame or hand fed and should be respected as wild animals. We hiked into the 'Back Paddock' which is a large area of open bushland that has been fenced to exclude feral animals...it does, apparently, house Eastern Barred Bandicoots. While we didn't see any bandicoots (predominantly nocturnal) we did see quite a few swamp wallabies in addition to the kangaroos. The huge, weathered river red gums and granite tors add to the photographic opportunities and the bird life is a great introduction to Australian birds....over the course of our 1 1/2 hour easy stroll on extremely well made paths we saw magpies, little ravens, corellas, sulphur crested cockatoos, wattle birds, wood ducks, eastern rosellas, flocks of yellow rumped thornbills, groups of blue wrens, scarlet robins and a small bird of prey...and we had not brought binoculars with us. The view from the trig point at Gellibrand Hill is really stunning. Sweeping views from Tullamarine Airport to the You Yangs Ranges and the sky scrapers of Melbourne sitting on the horizon. It is almost surreal being surrounded by so much native bird and animal life while hearing the roar of jet engines and smelling av-gas on the wind! From Gellibrand Hill we took a more direct path (40 minutes easy walking) back to the parking area at the Woodlands Homestead. Again we saw plenty of kangaroos along the way. You can purchase a Devonshire tea of scones, jam, cream and coffee or tea for $9.50 per person at the homestead but, be warned, the last orders need to be in to the kitchen by 15:30 and on a busy Sunday they ran out of scones. There are tours of the homestead and you can see some of the retired 'living legends' of Australian horse racing living out their days in the paddocks close to the homestead....Brew and Fields of Omagh seemed to be enjoying the pasture! We visited in June when the grass was just greening up and starting to grow, I suspect that in midsummer the park may be quite dry and dusty...but the resident wildlife will still be present. It seems incredible that Woodlands Historic Park is so close to Melbourne and to the international airport but so under utilised. I cannot recommend highly enough (again!!!) bringing those tired travellers here to spot some Australian wildlife and snack on scones....it really is less than ten minutes from the airport terminal....this really is a 'secret treasure' of Melbourne.
Written June 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James L
San Diego, CA15 contributions
Nov 2016 • Solo
Loved it. Walked alone determined to find animals not in captivity. Seen a lot of exotic birds and Kangaroos!
Relatively easy walk. Some hills but nothing too crazy like climbing rocks or boulders, just follow the trails ;)
Had a hard time first getting into the park from Cafe, you have to go inside the cafe and along the back is where it begins, there's not really a beginning or ending, just know if you follow the Gellibrand Hill sign you will eventually end up following a community of houses and then find yourself along a main road so if you find yourself there double back as your headed out of the park.
Really enjoyed walking around and seeing all the landscape, charred trees, birds, noises, and nature.
Kookaburras are interesting birds, almost sounded like a monkey for a second hehe
And the roos were awesome, they're everywhere and if you're quiet they don't runaway. I sat in the forest off the trail and they got close enough to get some decent pictures with just my iphone.
Only a few people on the trail too so if you're not keen of crowded places check it out!
It's about a 12 minute drive from the airport, a 30 minute bike ride or a two hour walk if you're game.
I took the tram to the Southern Cross STation, then a Skybus, then a taxi to get there then walked back to the airport and then skybus back to Southern Cross/CBD and Tram back to Richmond.
I loved it. I was exhausted. Bring water and snacks... and sunscreen depending!
Enjoy the sounds and sights. Lots of beautiful open views of paddocks.
Relatively easy walk. Some hills but nothing too crazy like climbing rocks or boulders, just follow the trails ;)
Had a hard time first getting into the park from Cafe, you have to go inside the cafe and along the back is where it begins, there's not really a beginning or ending, just know if you follow the Gellibrand Hill sign you will eventually end up following a community of houses and then find yourself along a main road so if you find yourself there double back as your headed out of the park.
Really enjoyed walking around and seeing all the landscape, charred trees, birds, noises, and nature.
Kookaburras are interesting birds, almost sounded like a monkey for a second hehe
And the roos were awesome, they're everywhere and if you're quiet they don't runaway. I sat in the forest off the trail and they got close enough to get some decent pictures with just my iphone.
Only a few people on the trail too so if you're not keen of crowded places check it out!
It's about a 12 minute drive from the airport, a 30 minute bike ride or a two hour walk if you're game.
I took the tram to the Southern Cross STation, then a Skybus, then a taxi to get there then walked back to the airport and then skybus back to Southern Cross/CBD and Tram back to Richmond.
I loved it. I was exhausted. Bring water and snacks... and sunscreen depending!
Enjoy the sounds and sights. Lots of beautiful open views of paddocks.
Written November 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
George I
Melbourne, Australia10 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
I visit this park maybe three times a week. I take my dogs or just go for a walk or jog.
It has many, still visible Aboriginal sites like camp fires and the like going back to the 1800s. You can see remnants of settlers that once lived here 150 years ago.
You can visit the historic homestead and see famous race horses out to pasture.
Have tea and the best scones around at the homestead or just picnic there.
There is lots of kangaroos and birdlife there as well.
It has many, still visible Aboriginal sites like camp fires and the like going back to the 1800s. You can see remnants of settlers that once lived here 150 years ago.
You can visit the historic homestead and see famous race horses out to pasture.
Have tea and the best scones around at the homestead or just picnic there.
There is lots of kangaroos and birdlife there as well.
Written November 21, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EndlessTravels
Greater Melbourne, Australia38,542 contributions
Jan 2018
If you have friends or family visiting from overseas than this is a great place to bring them straight from airport to see kangaroos in the wild. In the distance you will also see the planes. The nearby living legends is also a must.. The huge boulders are also great for pictures
Written January 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dianna C
Melbourne, Australia1,186 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
The only downside to this lovely native parkland is the noisy neighbour (the airport). The Roos are everywhere, the parkland is native and you feel like you're a long way from Melbourne even though it's just 20km or so. We spent 1/2 a day here. Loved it.
Written April 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eleni D
48 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
Lovely place for a peaceful walk. Keep an eye out for the kangaroos who are keeping an eye on you 😁
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fooweng
Melbourne, Australia1 contribution
Dec 2018 • Couples
Reach here and park the car outside. the scene like Jurassic park. haha.. me and my wife walked for about 200metre and decide to get back to the car haha. Afraid of being attack by animal. Few kangaroo was staring at us from far. Honestly, a nice place..
Written December 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is the park able to be accessed in the evenings? We have a flight that lands at 4:30PM in March. I saw that it closes at 6PM. We’d like to run out and see the park during our layover but I wasn’t sure if it’ll be open.
Written January 22, 2025
Is the park able to be accessed in the evenings? We have a flight that lands at 4:30PM in March. I saw that it closes at 6PM. We’d like to run out and see the park during our layover but I wasn’t sure if it’ll be open.
Written January 22, 2025
Hi, We have several hours to kill at the airport (2pm to 11.30pm!) and wondered about going to Woodlands for a walk. How do we get there from the airport? can we walk (safely) or is it an Uber or bus ride?
Written April 29, 2023
Hi guys! So this seems like an amazing place, can't believe I haven't heard about it before! Basically I was looking for a picnic ground close to the airport for my daughters 2nd birthday. She is obsessed with planes....what I want to know is the visual of the planes good can she get right up close? Can't believe the nature and wild life will be a great bonus to add on top. Thanks team.
Written April 9, 2017
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