An easy walk in the Fishermans Bend area of Melbourne.

GRADE | LENGTH | TYPE: Easy 7 km point to point walk. The track is flat – just what you need at Christmas.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Westgate Park is a green oasis located under the Westgate Bridge in the heart of industrial Melbourne, part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Bunurong People.

The lake in the centre of the park turns a vibrant pink when conditions are right. Roughly once a year, when there is a long enough dry spell, the water from the lake evaporates enough to change from really salty to really, really, really salty, and the algae puts on its pink sunglasses to survive the extreme conditions. Hopefully we’ll time it right. As soon as the rain comes and dilutes the water, or the weather gets cold and overcast, the pink colour disappears as the algae stops producing the pink carotenoids. See parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/westgate-park.

We’ll take the unsealed trails in Westgate Park around the lakes and wetlands to see the park’s plants and animals, as well as the Earth Series Sculptures. These artworks by Lyn Moore are made from natural materials and add to the unique landscape and character of Westgate Park.

After Westgate Park, we’ll do a short detour to see the Yarra River/Spotswood Punt, then wend down to the beach in Beacon Cove, finishing at Port Melbourne to take the #109 tram home.