As well as providing precious water resources to the city and surrounds, many of Melbourne’s dams and reservoirs are perfect for a day of picnics and hiking. In partnership with Melbourne’s water corporations, here are six reservoirs to visit for a scenic summer outing.
Any picnic-loving, park-dwelling Melburnian knows that outdoors is the place to be over summer. But during the holiday season, our parks and beaches can get crowded (and the backyard or balcony doesn’t quite cut it).
Luckily, our city and surrounds are home to an array of stunning dams and reservoirs that store rainwater – many of them historic and surrounded by bushland. As well as supplying Greater Melbourne with our precious drinking water, these protected catchments also have recreation reserves open to the public – they can be the perfect spot to lay out a picnic spread, go for a scenic walk, or just sit and read.
They not only offer a great day out, but they’re a reminder of how precious our dams and reservoirs are, the excellence of Melbourne’s unrivalled tap water, and why we should be mindful of our water usage to ensure there’s enough for everyone, now and into the future. Here are six reservoirs we recommend for a visit or day trip over summer.
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Cardinia Reservoir Park
Anyone who has seen this gorgeous lake in the morning light or at sunset will appreciate why it’s one of Melbourne’s most popular outdoor destinations. Located in Emerald, near the city’s south-eastern fringe, Cardinia Reservoir Park features open parklands, picnic and barbeque areas, alongside native bushland and walking trails teeming with wildlife and natural fauna. Visit in the early morning or late afternoon to spot mobs of eastern grey kangaroos out grazing, and catch the crimson glow of the sun on the water. It’s also close to farm-to-table restaurant O.My, if you want to close out your day with a wildly inventive degustation featuring produce from the eatery’s nearby Cardinia farm.
Maroondah Reservoir Park
The Maroondah catchment’s 41-metre-high dam wall offers a scenic lookout over landscaped gardens, verdant hills and the tranquil reservoir itself. There are plenty of places to settle in for the afternoon, with six rotundas and dozens of picnic tables throughout the gardens. The Maroondah Forest Track is perfect for a quick nature walk, or you can venture further along Henderson Hill Track, then on to Donnellys Weir in the Yarra Ranges National Park. There’s also a lookout over the spillway, which provides dramatic waterfall scenes during the dam’s intermittent overflows after heavy rain – you can check for updates on when the dam is likely to overflow. It’s located on the edge of Healesville, which means you can get your picnic supplies on the way there, or perhaps stock up on Yarra Valley wines on your way home.
Pykes Creek Reservoir
On a tributary of the Werribee River, Pykes Creek Reservoir is an hour’s drive north-west of Melbourne. Unlike other reservoirs on this list, you can swim, boat, fish and participate in water activities here. There are also plenty of animals – including eagles, kangaroos, wombats and sugar gliders – as well as a playground and barbeques, making it a popular spot for daytrips. A boat ramp also makes it easy to launch your boat, kayak or jet ski into the water. Stop by Footscray or Sunshine on the way to load up your picnic basket – the two suburbs are known for banh mi – or you can stop in the markets to fill up on fresh produce and dips.
Upper Yarra Reservoir Park
With its historical sites, bushland, playgrounds, walking trails and campsites, Upper Yarra Reservoir Park is perfect for a short road trip or a camping weekend. Visitors can explore the park’s past as a village for the workers who built the dam between 1947 and 1957. There’s a picnic shelter adjoining the hall that once served as the mess room for the construction workers, as well as McVeigh’s picnic area, which houses the 19th-century water wheel that first powered the generator at the Contention gold mine and later McVeigh’s Hotel, a focal point of the Upper Yarra community before it was submerged by the dam. The 500-metre Fern Gully Track (20 minutes return) takes you through a majestic old-growth eucalypt forest. The Brimbonga Walking Track is a much shorter 300-metre walk (15 minutes return) to a viewing platform where you can see water flow from the reservoir’s outlet basin into the aqueduct on its journey to Melbourne.
Yan Yean Reservoir Park
Yan Yean Reservoir is Victoria’s oldest dam and still features remnants of the original stone water channel, bluestone valve house and the caretaker’s cottage built in 1853. It’s been a popular recreation spot since it first opened in 1857, when it was believed to be the largest artificial reservoir in the world. Today, you can stroll along the water for views towards the mountains in Kinglake National Park, and pack lunch for a visit to one of the picturesque picnic areas. It’s a great wildlife-watching spot too, with plenty of birds and kangaroos in the wetlands. Black Vice Coffee Roasters in nearby Hurstbridge also offers a pit stop for coffee before your walk, or you can grab an early arvo bite after.
Silvan Reservoir Park
A favourite among birdwatchers and hikers, Silvan Reservoir Park has landscaped picnic areas and open lawns, numerous walking trails, and gardens of exotic flowers alongside fern gullies and thick eucalypt forest that runs almost to the water’s edge. Along the park trails, visitors can spot a variety of woodland species, including kookaburras, red wattle birds, blue wrens, rufous fantails and scarlet honeyeaters, even echidnas and wallabies. The reservoir was developed in response to a severe drought in 1914, although construction was delayed until after the First World War. Traces of its history can be seen in the historic Mount Evelyn Aqueduct, and the 1930s stone terraces and pergolas in the gardens. Nowadays, the Silvan Reservoir helps supply water throughout metropolitan Melbourne. Its proximity to the Dandenong Ranges also means you can visit nearby Babaji’s Kitchen, Paradise Valley Hotel or Prosperina Bakehouse.
No matter which reservoir park you visit this summer, don’t forget to respect our parks and waterways – not just when you’re there, but all year round. Make every drop count.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Greater Western Water, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water.
