Brimbank Park

Brimbank Park
The park and adjacent Maribyrnong River
Location of the park in Greater Metropolitan Melbourne
Interactive map of Brimbank Park
Type	Metropolitan park
Location	Keilor East, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	37°44′02″S 144°50′13″E
Area	328.7 ha (812 acres)
Established	1976 (1976)
Operator	Parks Victoria
Open	Daily, from 6:00am to 5:30pm
Status	Open
Paths	10 km (6.2 mi), sealed and unsealed
Water	Maribyrnong River
Plants	Red River Gums
Species	Galahs parrots wetland birds birds of prey brushtail and ringtail possums wallabies bats reptiles
Public transit	– St Albans + walk  –  – Maribyrnong River Trail
Facilities	Barbecues cafe playgrounds shelters and picnic tables toilets wetlands
Website	parks.vic.gov.au

Brimbank Park is a 328-hectare (811-acre) metropolitan park located in Keilor East, a north-western suburb of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. Established in 1976 on the banks of the Maribyrnong River, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north–west of the Melbourne city centre, the park is managed by Parks Victoria.

The park is located on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung.

History

About 40,000 years ago: first signs of possible human habitation along the Maribyrnong River. The Keilor Cranium and femur of a person, found in 1940 in a sand bank, has been carbon dated at about 12,000 years.

In the late 1830s, Europeans first settled the area and used the fertile river valley as stock runs. They often drove stock around the brim of the bank, thus the park's name, Brimbank. The river flats on the east bank were used for market gardening until 1983.

In 1976, Brimbank Park opened to the public as part of the Maribyrnong Valley Park, combined with the adjacent Horseshoe Bend Children's farm and Greenvale Reservoir Park. The Maribyrnong River has hollowed out a valley some 55 metres (180 ft) below the Keilor Plain, with a steep bank on the northern side and gentle terraces on the southern side.

In 2016, the park was implemented a Victorian-first pilot project to help children on the autism spectrum play more freely, with Parks Victoria creating a digital "script" showing items and sights they would encounter at the park. This was designed to alleviate anxiety, particularly when moving from one place to another, and was designed alongside autism advocacy organisation Amaze.

In 2021, Parks Victoria began helping plant trees at the park as part of the "More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West" project which aims to plant trees in urban areas of Melbourne's western suburbs with the lowest tree canopy covers. This was done to help increase urban shade cover with phase two commencing in 2022 and stage three completed by mid-2023.

Features

The park fields recreational activities with facilities including walking and cycling tracks, playgrounds, picnic areas, amenities and a café. In addition to accessing via public transport, the park is located near the junction of the Calder Freeway and Western Ring Road, via either the Old Calder Highway or Keilor Park Drive.

The Maribyrnong River flows through the park, which is the north-west terminus of the Maribyrnong River Trail, with the other terminus in Footscray, 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the south-east. At Keilor, the river winds back on itself in a horseshoe bend, before winding south again at Brimbank Park.

Brimbank Park is home to wildlife including swamp wallabies, blue tongued lizards and echidnas. Birds including parrots, herons, galahs, blue wrens, yellow-tailed thornbills, rosellas, flame robins and the peregrine falcon can also be seen in the park.

In 2025, the site hosted a regular 5-kilometre (3 mi) parkrun.

See also

• Parks and gardens of Melbourne

External links

• "Brimbank Park". Parks Victoria. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  • "Brimbank Park: Visitor Guide" (PDF). Parks Victoria. July 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2026.