Grants Picnic Ground
Grants Picnic Ground
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4.0
111 reviews
Excellent
39
Very good
39
Average
21
Poor
5
Terrible
7
Peter M
London, UK1,368 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
Driving between Melbourne and Yarra Valley decided to stop here for a picnic and walk around.
Lovely and fresh in amongst the trees shading us from the midday heat.
Set up lunch on the picnic table and could enjoy watching the birds flying around.
After lunch took a walk around the Margaret trail and into the goofy shop.
Most pleasurable 😀
Lovely and fresh in amongst the trees shading us from the midday heat.
Set up lunch on the picnic table and could enjoy watching the birds flying around.
After lunch took a walk around the Margaret trail and into the goofy shop.
Most pleasurable 😀
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oldjack
Greater Melbourne, Australia29,082 contributions
Apr 2021
The picnic ground is fairly average place and always packed with tourists. The Hardy Gully walk that starts at the picnic ground does provide some good examples of very tall mountain ash and tree-fern lined gullies. Watch for the Kookaburra's in the picnic ground as they are quite fearless and agressive expecting food.
Written 1 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
K72
Melbourne, Australia3,082 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
The actual picnic ground areas are quite nice and a bit removed from the carpark and tourist buses. The bird feeding area used to have lots of different birds but now seems to be all cockatoos and corellas. The cockatoos are very noisy and don't hesitate to land on your shoulders/ arms. Today there was a young man working who would not allow anyone to enter the feeding area without a ticket- so silly as it's the seeds you pay for not the birds! Stand around the fence for the same experience and save $4.
There are two short walks and a couple of longer ones that do a loop and end up back in the car park. The longer walks were great- a bit uphill and a bit downhill (both quite steep)...the tracks are not well signed- in some parts the arrows point both ways and no distances are listed. We accidentally took a wrong turn as the sign was misleading and ended up walking about 8km to get back to the car park... thankfully some locals on the tracks were able to give good directions (google maps was misleading). I enjoyed the walks we did but think better signage is needed. One of the shorter walks (Margaret Lester track) is pram and wheelchair friendly!
My friend is from overseas and enjoyed seeing the variety of birds... several lyrebirds on the walks and at the end of the car park, away from the cockatoos there were king parrots and crimson lorikeets. Also saw several kookaburras which was exciting!
Public toilets were pretty messy and dirty when I visited.
There are two short walks and a couple of longer ones that do a loop and end up back in the car park. The longer walks were great- a bit uphill and a bit downhill (both quite steep)...the tracks are not well signed- in some parts the arrows point both ways and no distances are listed. We accidentally took a wrong turn as the sign was misleading and ended up walking about 8km to get back to the car park... thankfully some locals on the tracks were able to give good directions (google maps was misleading). I enjoyed the walks we did but think better signage is needed. One of the shorter walks (Margaret Lester track) is pram and wheelchair friendly!
My friend is from overseas and enjoyed seeing the variety of birds... several lyrebirds on the walks and at the end of the car park, away from the cockatoos there were king parrots and crimson lorikeets. Also saw several kookaburras which was exciting!
Public toilets were pretty messy and dirty when I visited.
Written 6 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alison T
Melbourne, Australia12 contributions
Nov 2014 • Friends
Was told about this place by friends who went a couple of years ago. They said it was a great experience. When we got there, we realised that the only place you can actually feed the birds is in a crowded, tiny enclosure, which you have to pay $4 to enter, and you get a small handful of birdseed! Although this was ok, once you leave the enclosure it is ILLEGAL to feed the birds. In the picnic area we walked past people who we're being FINED by a park ranger for feeding the same birds some birdseed! I waited around to eavesdrop, and overheard that the fine was $300 each!!!!!! WHAT THE?! Seriously, this is just a money making, revenue raising scheme!!!! It makes no sense that on one hand you can feed them in a little enclosure, but as soon as you step out and feed the same birds the same food you are committing an offence!
Written 11 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Flash G
Melbourne, Australia28 contributions
Oct 2014 • Family
Years ago, hundreds (if not thousands) of Cuckakoos and Rosella would fly down to the feeding area where trees used to be. Birds would have pearched up the trees and slowly fly down the forest ground to pick up seeds given out by tourists.
Due to corporate greed, as usual ... they have replaced the trees with a concrete feeding area and charges $4 for a handful of bird seeds.
Ever since the concrete feeding area was installed, birds in the area have dwindled to just a handful.
Birds likes trees ... not concrete ground.
Disappointing.
Due to corporate greed, as usual ... they have replaced the trees with a concrete feeding area and charges $4 for a handful of bird seeds.
Ever since the concrete feeding area was installed, birds in the area have dwindled to just a handful.
Birds likes trees ... not concrete ground.
Disappointing.
Written 9 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AUChrissie
United Kingdom193 contributions
Dec 2018
I'm embarrassed to say that this has been destroyed. What was once a peace filled destination, is now full of tour buses, and a concrete arena that you have to pay to enter to feed the cockatoos. There is no picnic ground, and the odd table that exists is surrounded by signs telling you you cant feed the birds (because clearly that means you are outside the money making paid area). Gone are the beautiful lorikeets, rosellas and many coloured parrots - presumably scared off, and now there appears to mostly be the boisterous cockatoos. The other parrots MAY be seen in the distance if you are lucky. As a Melbournian who has been visiting since I was little, I was so excited to go back for a visit after living overseas, and now I wish I had never seen what it has become.
Written 21 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Savelij B
2 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
Once upon a time this was a fantastic, absolutely unique spot where people and birds meet each other and have fun together.
Today it is a concrete bowl where some bureaucratic entity squeezes money out of the tourists and the local population in mechanical, detached and dehumanised process.
Feeding the birds outside the concreted and fenced "designated area" is now illegal with a threat of hefty fine announced through the signs, so everyone entering the parking lot is threatened rather then made feel welcome.
The concreted area is crowded and resembles something between a privileged "free range" poultry farm and a prison yard. People have to pay to enter, while the birds may fly free as soon as they confine their interactions with people to the concrete-and-steel bowl.
Out of the great variety of birds that live in the area only the rowdy cockatoos seem to be keen to follow the jailbird feeding regime.
And only the tourists from the overpopulated and polluted hellholes seem to find it truly amusing.
This illustrates perfectly the continuous encroachment of the State and its agencies and reshaping our local living environment in the name of rising ever more revenue.
Out of the government oversight walking the forest track is still free, which we did.
Today it is a concrete bowl where some bureaucratic entity squeezes money out of the tourists and the local population in mechanical, detached and dehumanised process.
Feeding the birds outside the concreted and fenced "designated area" is now illegal with a threat of hefty fine announced through the signs, so everyone entering the parking lot is threatened rather then made feel welcome.
The concreted area is crowded and resembles something between a privileged "free range" poultry farm and a prison yard. People have to pay to enter, while the birds may fly free as soon as they confine their interactions with people to the concrete-and-steel bowl.
Out of the great variety of birds that live in the area only the rowdy cockatoos seem to be keen to follow the jailbird feeding regime.
And only the tourists from the overpopulated and polluted hellholes seem to find it truly amusing.
This illustrates perfectly the continuous encroachment of the State and its agencies and reshaping our local living environment in the name of rising ever more revenue.
Out of the government oversight walking the forest track is still free, which we did.
Written 9 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geoff888812
Dublin, Ireland2 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
The Parks and Wildlife department should be ashamed of what they have done to what was once a peaceful family oriented picnic ground.
They have turned this into a wildlife amusement park that is full of tourist buses with hundreds of tourists. My family and I are totally disgusted and disappointed with the money grabbing lengths the park service is going, they are meant to be looking after the Parks not destroying them by building shops and large concrete area’s in the middle of what was pristine bushland.
They have turned this into a wildlife amusement park that is full of tourist buses with hundreds of tourists. My family and I are totally disgusted and disappointed with the money grabbing lengths the park service is going, they are meant to be looking after the Parks not destroying them by building shops and large concrete area’s in the middle of what was pristine bushland.
Written 2 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Foot-Soldier-4
Hong Kong, China143 contributions
July 2017 • Family
We did some nice walk into the woods and had fun feeding the cockatoos. But…
1] As other reviewers have pointed out, signage is lacking and directions unclear along the trails. We had to keep asking other fellow hikers to make sure we’re on the right track. And, luckily, Google map was still functional even in the woods
2] If you only want a close encounter with the wild birds, you don’t really have to pay to feed them. Just cross the road, right in front of the café, there’s a patch of wood where we saw tens of birds gathering & resting, with not a bit of fear even after we’ve gotten next to them.
3] We also did the Sherbrooke Falls Walk but it’s a shame that there’s no view to the falls at all. The vegetable has over-grown & all the view was blocked over there.
1] As other reviewers have pointed out, signage is lacking and directions unclear along the trails. We had to keep asking other fellow hikers to make sure we’re on the right track. And, luckily, Google map was still functional even in the woods
2] If you only want a close encounter with the wild birds, you don’t really have to pay to feed them. Just cross the road, right in front of the café, there’s a patch of wood where we saw tens of birds gathering & resting, with not a bit of fear even after we’ve gotten next to them.
3] We also did the Sherbrooke Falls Walk but it’s a shame that there’s no view to the falls at all. The vegetable has over-grown & all the view was blocked over there.
Written 3 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RoseRRed
Boronia, Australia447 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
Went to Grants Picnic Ground with a view to do the Lyrebird Walk track. Started with the Margaret Lester Forest Walk, which was pleasant and easy, with butterflies playing and feeding on the plants in the sunshine, we came back to the car park and started our Walk hoping that this would take us to the Lyrebird Track, after walking on a very wide path for quite awhile we asked some walkers going back to the car park "how far to the Lyrebird track?" Reply " when you get to the gate go through, the Walk is a little steep", so off we went looking for the 'gate' and the track, went pass a few side tracks on our right, BUT no gate, we eventually ended up at Puffing Billy, at this stage we were not impressed, our walk back was uphill for a bit before the wide track levelled and back to our car. This wide track is quite boring, but we did see some kookaburras and many brown butterflies and people. We found no signage in the vicinity of the car park showing which way to go for the different walks. We later found out that the Lyrebird track in a different direction and does not start at the car park.
Better signage or a clear map showing ' you are here' and all the different tracks, we found this type of map very helpful when we did the walks from Sherbrooke picnic ground.
Better signage or a clear map showing ' you are here' and all the different tracks, we found this type of map very helpful when we did the walks from Sherbrooke picnic ground.
Written 17 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John P
Hampton Park, Australia
Hi, is there undercover bbq area for 10 to 15 people? John and friends.
Written 28 April 2015
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