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                    Major parks and gardens

                    Group of people walking through one of Melbourne's gardens on a sunny day
                    The City of Melbourne has nearly 480 hectares of internationally acclaimed parks and gardens, offering a variety of open spaces, recreation opportunities and facilities for the community.

                    Facilities include sports grounds, barbecues, toilets and playgrounds. Many of our parks are also the setting for public artworks, venues and unique features such as Cooks’ Cottage in Fitzroy Gardens, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Kings Domain and the Federation Bells in Birrarung Marr.

                    Find out what you can and can't do in our parks to help us keep these areas looking great and safe for everyone to enjoy.

                    This page includes the major parks and gardens that define our city and are managed by City of Melbourne. See Neighbourhood and local parks and reserves for details of the smaller suburban reserves, street parks and squares throughout the municipality.

                    • Alexandra Gardens

                      Alexandra Gardens is part of the Domain Parklands. Situated in an area beside the Yarra River, the gardens' key features include the line of historic rowing boathouses facing the river, and Riverslide Skate Park.
                    • Birrarung Marr

                      Located on the northern bank of the Yarra River between Federation Square and Melbourne Park, Birrarung Marr features a range of native flora and sculpted terraces. It is also the location for the children's arts centre, ArtPlay, and provides space for many events held throughout the year.
                    • Carlton Gardens

                      Carlton Gardens lies directly north of the CBD and is a key part of Melbourne's inner-urban open space network. It contains the Royal Exhibition Building, the Melbourne Museum, an abundance of natural and landscaped features, as well as a few permanent attractions and cultural events.
                    • Docklands Park

                      The landscaped gardens of Docklands Park on Harbour Esplanade are ideal for families, picnicking and other recreational activities. The park includes barbecues, a playground, public artworks, large grassed spaces and cycling/walking paths.
                    • Domain Parklands

                      The Domain Parklands comprises a network of parks, gardens and open space making up nearly 123 hectares in central Melbourne. The parklands are bounded by the Yarra River (Birrarung), Anderson Street, Domain Road and St Kilda Road.
                    • Fawkner Park

                      Fawkner Park, located in South Yarra, remains largely unchanged from its original design of 1875 with formal pathways, avenues and lawns. The park also features Art Deco sporting pavilions, sports fields, and paths lined with Moreton Bay figs, elms, poplars and oaks.
                    • Fitzroy Gardens

                      Fitzroy Gardens is one of Melbourne’s most historic and beautiful gardens. Located in East Melbourne, Fitzroy Gardens is bounded by Lansdowne, Wellington, Clarendon and Albert streets.
                    • Flagstaff Gardens

                      Flagstaff Gardens, north of La Trobe Street, is situated on one of two hills to the immediate north of the Yarra River, Birrarung. The site formed topography important to Aboriginal peoples.
                    • JJ Holland Park

                      JJ Holland Park is located on Kensington Road in Kensington and covers more than 10 hectares. The park offers a range of facilities including sports grounds, a skate park, picnic areas and The Venny adventure playground.
                    • Kings Domain

                      Kings Domain covers the area from Linlithgow Avenue south to Domain Road. The Shrine of Remembrance Reserve, the parklands around the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the area south of the Royal Botanic Gardens facing Domain Road are included as part of Kings Domain.
                    • Princes Park

                      Declared a park in 1873 and covering an area of approximately 39 hectares, Princes Park stretches for 1.5 km along Royal Parade in Carlton North and forms part of one of the most important gateways into central Melbourne.
                    • Queen Victoria Gardens

                      Queen Victoria Gardens is part of the Domain Parklands. The peaceful gardens are located on a triangle of land just across St Kilda Road from the Arts Centre Melbourne.
                    • Royal Park

                      Royal Park is the largest open space in the City of Melbourne, covering 170 hectares. It is protected under the Victorian Heritage Register and its vast treed native vegetation landscape is an oasis on the edge of the city.
                    • Treasury Gardens

                      Treasury Gardens is one of the state's oldest public gardens. The heritage-listed gardens are a short walk from Victoria's Parliament House and form an integral component of the Spring Street government precinct.
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