Parks & Public Open Spaces

Docklands offers plenty of open spaces, both intimate and large, for people living, visiting or working in the area to relax and unwind, whether it’s on the water, by the water’s edge or strolling through parks with impressive public art.

These modern open spaces, featuring barbecue areas and creative playgrounds, complement the more traditional parks and gardens to the north and east of Melbourne's CBD.

Docklands Park, Bourke Street, Victoria Harbour

The large grassed spaces and native trees of Docklands Park offer the perfect place for relaxation, play and outdoor events. The park also features barbecue areas, a creative playground, bike and walking paths and spectacular urban art.

The tranquil wetlands are a key landscaping feature providing a home to local birdlife as well as underground water storages which enable around 80% of Dockland Park’s irrigation needs to be met by treated storm-water. The adoption of ESD (ecologically sustainable development) principles for the park enhances the recreational, landscape and educational values of this area for the community.

Victoria Green, Bourke Street, Victoria Harbour

Victoria Green is an oval shaped parkland located right in the heart of the precinct. It includes a sunken lawn area, timber deck with BBQs and picnic tables and native garden beds. Water storage facilities, bioswales and a sophisticated reticulation system capture and reuse the rainwater for irrgation of Victoria Green and watering of the garden beds.

Point Park, Lorimer Street, Yarra's Edge

Point Park provides a natural oasis between the cityscape and the waterfront offering picnic and barbeque facilities for an enjoyable day out. It is also a popular location for residents and visitors to play petanque. Point Park adds one hectare of environmentally senstive green space to Yarra's Edge and also incorporates water sensitive urban design features.

Active Blue Park

Seven kilometres of waterfront including Victoria Harbour and the Yarra River make up Docklands' active Blue Park. The 40 hectares of water are perfect for recreation and relaxation.

Water enthusiasts can enjoy:

• four state-of-the-art marinas that will offer 800 public and private berths by the time Docklands is complete
• water events of international prominence including yachting, dragon boat racing, wakeboarding and boat shows
• fishing
• sightseeing, dinner and corporate cruises
• recreational boat hire

For more information take a look at Dockland's waterways.

Harbour Esplanade – the main public promenade

Harbour Esplanade, Docklands’ main road, provides a key focus within Docklands for the whole community. It forms the main pedestrian, cyclist, vehicle and public transport route between the northern and southern areas of Docklands and creates an area for community activity.

Blue numbered stripes across the roadways and footpaths provide an historical reference to the cargo bays that were once part of the waterfront. Barbecue facilities and urban art are situated along Grand Plaza on Harbour Esplanade for all to enjoy.

VicUrban is currently undertaking a major project aimed at transforming Harbour Esplanade into a major waterfront park, which enhances Melbourne's connection with its waterfront and better connects the Docklands' precincts.

Find out more about our Harbour Esplanade Project.

Illustrations, diagrams and plans shown in this website are artist impressions for presentation purposes only and are subject to change.