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Bushland Reserves in Knox

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The City of Knox has over 70 bushland reserves that enhance the landscape and contribute to our local biodiversity.

About our bushland reserves

Connecting to nature provides many health and wellbeing benefits and the conservation of bushland reserves is valuable for the community and for future generations.

Our bushland reserves enhance the landscape character of the municipality. They include a variety of landscapes such as:

  • swampy woodland
  • valley heathy forest
  • grassy forest
  • wetlands
  • creek-side riparian zones.

Our reserves provide food and shelter for a wide variety of animal life, including many bird species, bats, frogs, reptiles and insects.

Managing our bushland reserves

Our Biodiversity team manages and monitors many of the bushland reserves. We spend most of our time:

  • controlling weeds and encouraging natural regeneration of bushland
  • expanding bushland by replacing adjacent areas with local native species
  • supporting volunteers and friends groups
  • providing visitor facilities and materials, such as track signage and brochures
  • managing bushfire risk
  • monitoring feral animals, such as foxes, so the reserves are safer for native animals
  • managing projects and planning for the future.

It is important that we continue to manage our bushland reserves well.

Find out more about using and caring for our bushland responsibly.

Subscribe to Knox Biodiversity News

Our email newsletter has upcoming events, programs and opportunities in Knox for anyone interested in biodiversity.

Subscribe to Knox Biodiversity News

Listen to our Nature in Knox podcast

Join the conversation with Bushland & Biodiversity Officers; Adam, Chris and Zoe sharing their knowledge and local insights about what's going on in Knox.

  • Episode 1 features a discussion about native orchids, snakes and our Tree trail campaign.
  • Episode 2 discusses the importance of tree hollows for our native animals with Andrew McKernan from Victorian Tree Organisation

Find your local bushland reserve

Use the Knox Nature Discovery Passport to explore our top 50 bushland reserves or find out what your nearest bushland reserve has to offer with our bushland reserve map or details below: 

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Bushland reserves in Wantirna

Koomba Park - off Mountain Highway.

Koomba Park features walking paths through wetlands around a man-made lake.

Facilities include picnic tables, shelter, toilets.

Winton Wetlands - access from shared path opposite Abbey Walk.

The reserve is regionally significant, providing habitat for Latham's Snipe (a migratory bird protected under the Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement), Yellow-billed Spoonbills and many frogs. It also contains at least two tree species used to make aboriginal canoes.

Yarrabing Wetlands - off Magnolia Street.

Named after an aboriginal word meaning 'white gum', the reserve contains a large number of remnant manna gums which support local wildlife. Wetland development in 2000 enriched the wildlife and improved the water quality.

Take a virtual tour around Yarrabing Reserve

Stringybark Reserve - at the corner of Mountain Highway and Petalnina Drive.

Formed in the late 1990's as part of a housing subdivision, the reserve contains some significant grasslands and examples of the rare red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha).

Bateman St Bushland - on the western end of Bateman Street.

One of the largest and richest areas of fairly intact valley heath forest in the Melbourne region.

W G Morris Reserve - in Harold Street.

This six acre reserve contains many significant plant species including nodding greenhood and tall greenhood orchids. It is important habitat for native wildlife and the local high school use it for environmental education.

Mansons Reserve - in Selkirk Avenue and linked to the Knox Cycleway.

This open space reserve contains one of the last wetland billabongs in Knox. A 60-metre boardwalk was built in 1996, providing close-up views of wildlife.

Bushland reserves in Wantirna South

Timmothy Drive Bushland - adjacent to Blind Creek.

This reserve contains a swamp gum forest.

Flamingo Reserve - off Flamingo Drive.

This reserve contains an excellent example of remnant bushland and an array of ground flora species including prickly moses, blue pincushions and native lilies (during winter).

Nortons Park - Nortons Lane.

Ideal for family picnics and pleasant walks. The park is accessible via the Knox Cycleway.

Facilities include picnic tables, toilets, barbeques.

Llewellyn Reserve - off Blink Creek Lane.

This reserve sits on a reclaimed brickworks site and include playing fields built on clay fill. The perimeter of the reserve (in particular the north-east corner) features a number of significant species of native vegetation.

Redcourt Reserve - off Berrabri Drive.

This small reserve features a diverse range of spring wildflowers including golden billy buttons, milkmaids and chocolate lilies.

Bushland reserves in Bayswater

Bayswater Park - on the corner of Bayswater Road and Mountain Highway.

A very popular reserve for picnics and nature walks due to significant remnant vegetation.

Facilities include picnic tables, playground equipment, toilets, barbeques.

Take a virtual tour around Bayswater Park. 

Bushland reserves in Boronia

Old Joe's Creek Retarding Basin - Army Road.

Features Old Joe's Creek, a retarding basin and remnant bushland vegetation. This site and Wicks Reserve in the Basin are two sites in Knox that provide habitat for the threatened sword-grass brown butterfly. The Knox Environment Society is linking the two reserves via a vegetated wildlife corridor.

Attached to this retarding basin is the Lucas Close Bushland which is small pocket of remnant vegetation. Hova, flat pea, common heath and native fuchsia all take turns to display their flowers throughout the year.

Take a virtual tour around Old Joe's Creek bushland reserve.

Blamey Reserve - off Blamey Court and accessible from Hayles Road.

The reserve supports excellent botanical diversity and is dominated by red box trees which are rare in Knox.

Millers Reserve - Beresford Drive.

Sun Dew Reserve - Sun Dew Avenue.

Facilities include playground equipment.

Penrith Reserve - Penrith Street.

Roselyn Crescent Reserve - Roselyn Crescent.

This reserve is notable for its wild flower display each spring. Bush peas and orchids are found under the canopy line of the eucalypt trees.

Facilities include playground equipment.

Wadhurst Drive Reserve - Wadhurst Drive.

Bushland reserves in The Basin

Liverpool Retarding Basin - on Liverpool Road.

With two lakes and seasonal wetlands, this reserve is one of Knox's largest and most diverse areas of intact indigenous vegetation. The area of swamp scrub is one of the richest and most ecologically healthy in the Melbourne region featuring nine plant species of regional significance, including the swamp skink.

Wicks Reserve and Wicks Reserve East - Olinda Road.

This open space forest area is ideal for bushwalking and viewing many plants indigenous to Knox. In particular, Gahnia sieberianan which provides essential habitat for the threatened sword-grass brown butterfly. An oak tree of historical significance is located in nearby Sheffield Road. Believed to be planted by William Chandler (one of the first Councillors in Knox), this tree is one of the finest examples of the early English oak in Australia.

Facilities include playground equipment, picnic tables, shelter, toilets, barbeques.

Take a virtual tour around Wicks Reserve 

Take a virtual tour around Wicks Reserve East

Need location and short description for the following:

Bayview Crescent Reserve - Bayview Crescent.

George Grumont Reserve - Stanley Street.

Facilities include playground equipment.

Mortiboy Reserve - corner of Augusta Road and Stuart Street.

Wirrianda Reserve - Forest Road.

Bushland reserves in Ferntree Gully

Koolunga Native Reserve - Forest Road.

A nine hectare reserve purchased from Chandler's daffodil farm in 1968 and named after an aboriginal word meaning 'banks of a stream'.

Facilities include picnic tables.

Blind Creek Billabong - adjacent to Blind Creek.

This reserve can be accessed from Springfield Road, Boronia. It features two vegetation communities - a seasonal wetland (the billabong) and forest dominated by swamp gum and silver-leafed stringybark. The reserve contains 16 plant species that are regionally or locally significant to Knox.

Norvel Reserve - Norvel Road.

Clyde Reserve - Clyde Street.

Bushland reserves in Upper Ferntree Gully

Gilmour Park - New Road.

The Park's 6.7ha are quite unique in Knox as they contain:

  • a natural, forested creek
  • a lake and wetland setting with a woodland backdrop
  • open grassland
  • a cricket oval.

It offers a refuge for many plants and animals that have been threatened by urban development and forms an important link with other habitats around Ferntree Gully National Park.

Take a virtual tour around Gilmour Park 

Dandenong Ranges National Park - off Mount Dandenong Tourist Road.

A large eucalypt forest (Ferntree Gully, Doongalla and Sherbrooke) featuring waterfalls and fern gullies.

It is very popular for picnics, walks and drives.

Facilities include: picnic tables, shelter, toilets, barbeques.

Bushland reserves in Knoxfield

Lakewood Nature Reserve - Lakewood Drive.

Consists of open space, significant bushland and a retarding basin. The reserve is completely surrounded by residential development and forms a wildlife sanctuary for many water birds and possums.

Take a virtual tour around Lakewood Reserve. 

Egan Lee Reserve - off Wallace Road.

This four acre reserve features grassland species such as sedges and tussock grass. Many orchids flower here in spring.

Bushland reserves in Rowville

Linnel Court Reserve - Linnel Court.

Delta Court Reserve - Delta Court.

Starlight Reserve - off Canter Street.

Containing a range of indigenous vegetation, this reserve has an interesting history as a World War 2 military camp. It also formed part of the first Victorian tobacco farm in the 1860s.

Tirhatuan Wetlands Conservation Reserve - accessible from Illawarra Avenue or via Ashbrooke Reserve, Seebeck Road.

This reserve provides important habitat for the dwarf galaxia fish which is protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

Churchill National Park - off Churchill Park Drive.

This National Park contains considerable bird, plant and animal life unique to the area. It is open all year round from 8:30am - sunset.

Facilities include picnic tables, shelter, barbeques.

Bushland reserves in Lysterfield

Dandenong Police Paddocks - access via Brady Road, Endeavour Hills.

This open space reserve was home to the Native Police Tracker Corps between 1849-1853. Police Paddocks is undergoing extensive revegetation and development to create a significant regional park.

Facilities include picnic tables, toilets, barbeques.

Whitecliff Reserve - on corner of Whitecliffe Drive and Canterbury Close.

Pinehill Reserve - Pitfield Crescent.

Need help?

Contact us and we will come back to you

Or call our Customer Service team on 9298 8000.

 

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