Yallambie Park (Yallambie)

Yallambie Park is a large reserve which has a playground and tennis courts (Yallambie Tennis Club) as well as an oval that doubles as an enclosed, off-lead dog area. It also has a large, grassy area to the north suitable for picnicking. The Plenty River Trail runs through this large reserve. It also has a longer walking track following the loop of the river past interpretive signs.

Activities in the park include a playground, walking/bike trails and wildlife observation.

History

Before European settlement, the Plenty River was a significant pathway for the Wurundjeri-willam people, for whom it provided water, food, shelter and cultural resources. Records suggest that one of their summer camps was by a deep pool in the river to the north of what is now Yallambie Park. The pool held water even during times of drought.

Yallambie Park has ties to Melbourne's earliest years of European settlement. John and Robert Bakewell owned and ran Plenty Station on the site in the 1840s. Yallambie Homestead was built on the edge of the Plenty River escarpment between 1872 and 1876 and stands today. Within the park, you can find remnants of early settlement plantings that once surrounded the homestead, including Bunya pine, hoop pine and a stand of unusual, heritage-listed black bamboo.

Flora and Fauna

This area of the Plenty River is part of the floodplain riparian woodland vegetation community, listed as endangered. Although highly degraded, the native vegetation of the area is being managed and progressively restored by the Friends of Plenty River with assistance from the Banyule Bushland Management Unit.

The vegetation along the river forms part of an important Plenty River wildlife corridor that connects Plenty and Yarra rivers. Swamp wallabies, echidnas and wombats have all been seen around Yallambie Park, along with many native birds.