Yarra Bend Park

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Lonely Planet review

Escape the city without leaving the city. About 5km northeast of town, the Yarra River flows through bushland - an area cherished by runners, rowers, cyclists, picnickers and strollers.

Yarra Bend Park has huge tracts of densely treed land (not to mention two golf courses and numerous sports grounds) that are great for walking. Cockatoos screech by the banks and grey-headed flying foxes roost in the trees: it's hard to believe you're 10 minutes from office towers and industry. At the end of Boathouse Rd is the 1860s Studley Park Boathouse which has a kiosk and restaurant, flocks of ducks, and boats and canoes for hire. Kanes suspension footbridge takes you across the river, from where it's about a 20-minute walk to Dights Falls at the confluence of the Yarra River and Merri Creek, with some great views on the way. You can also walk to the falls along the southern riverbank.

Further around the river, in Fairfield Park, is the site of the Fairfield Amphitheatre, a great open-air venue used for concerts and film screenings. The Fairfield Park Boathouse & Tea Gardens (9486 1501; Fairfield Park Dr; ; - Mon-Fri Oct-Mar, Sat & Sun year-round) is a restored early-20th-century boathouse with broad verandas and an outdoor garden restaurant. You can also hire canoes and kayaks here .