Whispers and Vistas Walk (Cheltenham)

Starting at Cheltenham Park, the Whispers and Vistas Walk is 3 kilometres long with a walking time of 40 minutes. The trail path varies between easy and hard in terms of difficulty.

Walk Summary:

Time: 40 minutes
Distance: 3 kilometres or shorter
Difficulty: varies between easy and hard
Seats: Cheltenham Park, Cheltenham Recreation Reserve and Shipston Reserve
Melway: ref 86 G1 H1
Bus routes: 600, 811-2, 822, 922-3
Train station: Cheltenham
Wheelchair access: Many dirt tracks, grassed ovals and rough in places
Parking: Park Road, Cheltenham Train Station
Toilets: Cheltenham Park, Shipston Reserve, Cheltenham Recreation Reserve.

Trail directions:

1 Cheltenham Park was named as an Australian botanical park in 1951. Allow time to walk around the perimeter of the park and admire the ovals from varying angles.

2 Don't miss the open terraced space where the Returned Service League used to celebrate Anzac Day. When the Nepean Highway was widened in the 1950s, the war monuments on the highway were shifted to this location. There were five monuments located on the site commemorating the Boer War, WW1 and WW2. These monuments were shifted to the Cheltenham RSL in 1999.

3 In the Native Flora and Fauna Reserve there are several bushland tracks to explore and many species of natural flora and fauna to be discovered. An interpretative sign on the corner of Park Road and the station car park explains the significance of the natural vegetation and birds, bats, lizards and insects found in the reserve. Note the abundance of Banksia trees.

4 After exploring the Native Flora and Fauna Reserve, walk along the rear of the cemetery. During this stretch of the walk, you are located on one of the highest points of the surrounding district. Continue on along the fence line past the Cheltenham Primary School and Glebe Avenue into the Cheltenham Recreation Reserve.

5 In Cheltenham Recreation Reserve, follow the golf course fence and turn into Weatherall Road and then Victor Avenue. There are no footpaths along Victor Avenue, so you'll need to walk along the road.

6 Shipston Reserve offers a variety of sporting activities and is a great place to walk dogs, although they must remain on a leash. There's a shortcut through the golf course fairway back to Glebe Avenue. However, it is advisable to return to Cheltenham Park via Crawford Street, Weatherall Road and the Cheltenham Recreation Reserve.

7 Once you reach the Cheltenham Recreation Reserve, why not follow the trail down Glebe Avenue to the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery and discover local history of the area.