| Braeside Park | |
| Type: | Metropolitan regional park |
| Location: | Braeside, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates: | -37.998°N 145.129°W |
| Area: | 310ha |
| Manager: | Parks Victoria |
| Visitation Num: | 460,000 |
| Visitation Year: | 2017 |
| Visitation Ref: | [1] |
| Habitat: | |
Braeside Park is a 310ha metropolitan, recreational and conservation park in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Braeside.[1] [2]
Before European settlement, the Bunurong people lived in and around the area for thousands of years. In 1851, the Colony of Victoria was established after separation from New South Wales; leases held by squatters were withdrawn and the land was surveyed, divided into portions and auctioned. The park since had a history of various owners and land uses. In 1982, Parks Victoria, assumed responsibility for Braeside park.[3]
The park's natural environment includes wetlands, heathlands and red gum woodlands.
The wetlands are made up of herbaceous native and introduced plant species which provide habitat for water-dependent birds. The heathland is located on sandy well-drained soil with vegetation including trees (mostly the manna gum), shrubs, sedges, grasses, groundcovers and herbs. The red gum woodlands consists of river red gums and a grassland of introduced grasses, mostly pasture grasses, due to the area's history of cattle grazing.[4]
The park contains multi-use trails, a picnic area, tree stump art carvings and a community garden.[5] Braeside Park has a 24-hour car park at the entrance to the park from Lower Dandenong Road.
The park's wetlands are also a popular birdwatching location. Birds such as the pacific black duck, pied cormorant, spotted pardalote and whistling kite can be found in the area.[6] The park also fields the 45ha Heathland Conservation Zone, a restricted-access area aiming to preserve and enhance the remnant natural features and cultural resources of the heathland habitat.[4] [7]