Commercial personal training and small group fitness
Permits are offered from 1 July to 30 June annually. If you miss the July cut off, we can pro rata the cost of your application from the date you wish to start through to 30 June. Simply complete the application form and return with your preferred start date noted and we will calculate the amended cost.
The City of Melbourne places great emphasis on protecting and preserving our natural environment for the benefit of all the community. Permitting commercial fitness activities helps us to achieve this aim by:
- managing impacts generated by organised fitness training groups on public open space, park assets and other park users
- ensuring equitable access to limited public space
- regulating activities of organised fitness groups including public liability, noise and advertising concerns
- balancing the needs of open space users with those of local residents and visitors.
Do I need a permit?
Any individual or business that intends on running personal training and/or instruction activities on public land and is receiving a commercial benefit must apply for a permit.
It is a requirement under the Crown Land Acts Amendment (Lease and Licence Terms) Act 2009 that personal trainers and fitness groups operating commercially on public land within the City of Melbourne have a permit with council. If you plan to conduct activities across multiple sites managed by different land managers (i.e. across multiple councils), then you will need to obtain a permit from each.
Multiple trainers can operate under the one permit, if working for the same business. We require the registration and qualifications of all trainers operating under the permit at the time of application or when any new trainers are added throughout the year. All trainers must be covered by the Insurance policy of the permit holder. The limit of 10 sessions per week is per permit, not trainer – so if you plan to run 10 sessions per week per trainer, each trainer will need their own permit.
Organisations that provide a service solely to their members (e.g. a bushwalking club that provides a leader), and who do not receive a financial reward over their direct costs, do not require a permit and are welcome to use the parks informally and without a booking.
If you are unsure, further detail can be found on the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action website or you can contact us to discuss your planned activity at personaltraining@melbourne.vic.gov.au after reading our terms and conditions, viewing available venues and reading our FAQs.
I operate a running club – how does this work?
Understanding that running groups are often on the move throughout their sessions, we ask that you apply for a permit and use our approved venues as a ‘meeting’ point for before and after your use. If any warm up, cool down, stretching and/or coaching is to take place this needs to be done in an approved area before the track activity takes place. Running tracks are a shared space and we ask that commercial groups do not impact the access and enjoyment to such areas for the broader community.
Cost
The 2024-25 Annual Tour Operator Licence Fee is $312.30.
Venues
All available sites approved for personal training and small group fitness are listed in the table below. See detailed maps of these locationsOpens in new tab (select 'Bookable Outdoor Space' then 'Personal Training Venues').
Each permit allows 10 sessions per week; these sessions can be spread across any of our venues. For each session we ask that you nominate a ‘park’ and the ‘zone’ within that park, so we can allocate appropriate numbers to sustainably use the space and avoid overcrowding. Your sessions can take place across a mix of sites (e.g. Monday 9am-10am at Fawkner Park Zone 1, Tuesday 9am-10am at Princes Park Zone 1).
Zones are in place to create back up options. Most trainers have a regular lawn space they use but on occasion large events, sport bookings, curation and maintenance works can impact a space, so the zone will provide temporary alternatives you can move to.
Nominated sport fields within our venues/maps can be used for personal training. However, we do not recommend using these areas as your main training space. Due to the heavy and constant workload of our sport fields, the quality and condition can vary through the year and we often close and rest fields. Regular curation and maintenance works are quite common that can also cause unavailability at times. Organised and informal sport has priority access to sport fields that can also cause common clashes for availability.
To ensure consistency and reliable access to your chosen training space, we recommend using lawn spaces rather than sports fields, but they can be used if and when needed if they are within the zone you nominate. Centre and practice turf cricket pitches, synthetic practice wickets, goal squares and other areas of high wear and tear cannot be used for personal training or group fitness activities.
Area / park | Zone | Useable lawns within zone |
|---|---|---|
Kings Domain | Zone 1 | Lawn 1 Lawn 3 Tom's Block |
Kings Domain | Zone 2 | Lawn 4 Lawn 5 Lawn 9 (Pillars) Lawn 12 |
Alexandra Gardens | Zone 1 | Peppercorn Lawn (Lawn 2) Star Lawn Palm Lawn |
Flagstaff Gardens | Zone 1 | Lawn 1 Lawn 12 Lawn 13 |
Fitzroy Gardens | Zone 1 | Lawn 4 Lawn 7 Lawn 19 Lawn 28 |
Fawkner Park | Zone 1 | Lawn 2 Lawn 3 Lawn 17 Lawn 18 |
Fawkner Park | Zone 2 | Lawn 13 Lawn 14 Lawn 15 Lawn 16 |
Fawkner Park | Zone 3 | Lawn 19 North Lawn 19 South Lawn 21 |
Docklands | Zone 1 | Ron Barassi Snr Park |
Docklands | Zone 2 | Docklands Park Point Park Buluk Park |
Carlton | Zone 1 | Lincoln Square University Square |
Carlton | Zone 2 | Carlton Gardens Lawn 4 Carlton Gardens Lawn 5 |
Princes Park | Zone 1 | Lawn 1 Lawn 3 Lawn 6 |
Royal Park | Zone 1 | Ross Straw Fields |
Royal Park | Zone 2 | Lawn 7 |
JJ Holland Park | Zone 1 | Oval 1 Oval 2 Full Synthetic |
| Pocket Parks | Zone 1 |
|
Permitted activity
- Gym sessions (with or without weights, skipping ropes, fit balls, etc.)
- Boxing and pad training
- Organised aerobics or group exercise programs
- Yoga, Tai Chi or similar classes
- Running groups
- Circuit training
- A combination of any of the above.
Activity not permitted
- Organised ball sports (e.g. soccer, rugby, football)
- Use of amplified music or voice equipment. Noise is to be kept to a minimum and all local laws of Council adhered to.
- The offering for sale of clothing, merchandise, equipment, refreshments, goods, services or products
- Any form of marketing or advertising within the park, including A frame signs and tear drop banners
- Use of running spikes or studded boots
- Aggressive activities and behaviour, including games or activities that may unreasonably interfere with the use or access to the parks or gardens by any other person
- Any activity that causes a nuisance to members of the public and neighbouring residents.
Further restrictions and requirements of permitted use
- Permits are valid from July 1 to June 30.
- Training is not to take place before 6am and not after 8pm.
- Maximum number of participants per session is 12.
- Maximum number of sessions per permit is 10 per week.
- A permit does not grant exclusivity of a designated area. The area must remain accessible to the general public and other trainers at all times.
- Due to restrictions on the number of personal trainers and fitness groups that can operate in the same location at a given time and also considering the wider use of the park, no consideration will be given to applications that attempt to 'blanket book' a location (such as book from 6 am to 8 pm each day). Generally 1 to 2 hours maximum is appropriate to request.
- Activities must not take place within ten metres of any Council owned infrastructure including buildings, playgrounds, pathways, public toilets, cricket nets, fencing or monuments.
- Centre and practice turf cricket pitches, synthetic practice wickets, goal squares on sports grounds and other areas of high wear and tear cannot be used.
- Any activity on the Princes Park and Tan running tracks should be undertaken in small groups; respect must be shown for all other runners and walkers.
- No equipment or infrastructure is to be attached to trees or park infrastructure. Large or heavy structures such as portable gyms, marquees, sound systems, weight benches or exercise bikes are not permitted.
- Under no circumstances are items such as rope, TRX units, bands or similar to be tied, stapled or attached to tree limbs, park furniture or infrastructure. The permit holder is responsible for any damage to trees, shrubs or flower beds from their activity. The permit holder agrees to reimburse Council the cost of any works required to repair any damage as a result of such activity.
- No equipment is to be pegged into the ground. Only free standing or weighted equipment is permitted. Please ensure there is minimal impact on lawns.
- Dragging of tyres and heavy weights is not permitted.
- Tents, marquees and other similar structures are not permitted.
- Council does not provide undercover training areas or back up venues in the event of inclement weather. This should be considered prior to applying for a permit.
- No refund of license fees will be provided for personal trainers and fitness groups wishing to cancel their license prior to the expiry date.
- No vehicles are permitted into any parks or gardens.
- Permits will be issued in the name of the applicant and are not transferrable.
- It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that all supporting documents are kept up to date and a copy provided to the City of Melbourne when renewed or changed.
- The City of Melbourne reserves the right to alter the availability of personal training spaces, depending on sustainability and maintenance considerations of our parks and gardens.
- Any breach to the terms and conditions may result in revocation of the Permit and enforcement action.
Insurance
To apply for a permit, businesses and individuals must have a valid policy for:
- public liability insurance for at least $20 million.
- professional indemnity insurance for at least $5 million.
- It must be kept updated and provided to Council when renewed.
Unapproved or inappropriate use within the park
If you believe a commercial operator is using the park without a permit, or any operator is using the park in an inappropriate way, or in an inappropriate location let us know at personaltraining@melbourne.vic.gov.au and we can investigate. Often new operators are unaware of the requirement and detail of a permit and correctly informing them can resolve such issues.
To assist us, please provide details of any notable branding or marketing on uniforms or if this is not possible, we can try to speak directly with the trainer if we know the days, times and areas of the park they are using.
How to apply
Please read all the important information above before applying for a personal training permit.
You can now apply for and manage personal trainer permits online via City of Melbourne ServicesOpens in new tab.
If this is your first time applying through this system then please create a new organisation when prompted.
If your request is approved, an invoice for payment of the license fee and further information will be provided.
Create City of Melbourne Services accountOpens in new tab
Log into City of Melbourne Services accountOpens in new tab
Ask a questionOpens in new tab
For more information on the system, including how to register, log in, submit and manage your permit applications, see permit help and support.
More information
For enquiries about Personal Training and / or Tour Operator Licences within the City of Melbourne, please call 9658 9658 or email personaltraining@melbourne.vic.gov.au
For more information about the licensing system relevant to commercial operators on Crown Land, go to Tour operators the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate ChangeOpens in new tab.
