Plenty River Trail (Lower Plenty)

The Plenty River Trail starts north of the Western Ring Road in Greensborough and ends far to the south, meeting the Yarra River Trail in Viewbank. Following the winding Plenty River, the trail passes playgrounds, sport fields, bushland and open areas suitable for picnicking, bike riding and dog walking.

This shared trail is concrete throughout Banyule and is accessible from many of entry points, including wheelchair users and bicycles. The Parks Victoria section of the trail is unsealed between the bridge south of Lower Plenty Road and the Yarra River Trail.

Features include an athletics track, barbecues, football pitch, oval, play equipment, public toilets, tennis court, walking/bike trails and wildlife observation.

History

The Plenty River starts on the forested slopes of Mount Disappointment, Humevale. The 47km river flows south and is joined by three minor tributaries before reaching the Yarra River in Viewbank. Before European settlement, it was a major pathway for the Wurundjeri-willam people, providing water, food and shelter.

The trail passes several sites of post-European historical significance, including the remains of an early public swimming pool built into the river in Greensborough and a number of 100-150 year old fruit trees that mark the location of many orchards established in the late 1800s. In Lower Plenty, the trail crosses a historical bluestone bridge dating from the 1860s, one of the first bridges across the Plenty River to be built of its kind.

Flora and Fauna

The Plenty River is home to many threatened, endangered and vulnerable vegetation communities, including floodplain riparian woodland, valley grassy forest and riparian scrub, grassy dry forest/box-stringybark woodland and herb-rich foothill forest. It is managed by the Banyule Bushland Management Unit.

The native vegetation along the river is part of a corridor that provides shelter and food to wildlife travelling between the Yarra River and Plenty Gorge Parkland. Swamp wallabies, echidnas and wombats are all found in the area, along with many native birds.

Access for Dogs

The area is a dog off leash area.

Review:

We walked the southern section of the Plenty River Trail which is 3.1km one-way. There is a car park below the Lower Plenty Hotel along Edward Willis Court which is off Main Road.

Initially follow the shared path to the left (not over the bridge over the river) through bushland with the Plenty River below. Initially there is the Heidelberg Golf Club on the left hand side of the path. Cross a bridge over the Plenty River and continue along a gravel road. This is the last time you will see the river since the trail passes through parkland. Soon there is the huge area of the North Eastern Horse & Pony Club on the left and you pass a table and bench seat near a pond on the right.

The path continues along Banyule Road and passes a water tap with bowl for dogs. The trail starts to give good views of the city and some silos. The trail descends down to intersect with the Main Yarra Trail.

Photos:

Location

17 Edward Willis Court, Lower Plenty 3093 Map

Web Links

→ www.banyule.vic.gov.au/Events-activities/Parks-reserves/Plenty-River-Trail

→ Friends of Plenty River