Traveller safety information

Albert Park boasts 225-hectares of beautiful parkland including a picturesque lake and network of trails. It is located in the City of Port Phillip, approximately three kilometres from the Melbourne CBD and is the venue for many of Victoria's popular public events. The park is a beacon to sporting and recreation enthusiasts with a superb 18 hole golf course, golf driving range, walking and cycling tracks and on-water activities. Other facilities include picnic tables, barbecue areas, playgrounds, restaurants and toilets. Albert park is also an important sanctuary for wildlife and vegetation.

• Run for Strength (Sun, 21 Feb 2010)

• Utilise the free public barbecues or one of the picnic areas.
• Take your dog for a walk around the lake ‘on leash’ or exercise your dog in the 'off-leash' zone.
• Join a yacht or rowing club, take lessons or hire a boat, canoe or kayak just for fun.
• Walk, cycle, or jog around the 4.7km lake track, taking in the picturesque surroundings.
• Enjoy the views of the city skyline.from almost anywhere within the park.
• Grab your board and try out the skate ramp.
• Join an amateur sporting club that use one of the park's 21 sports fields, or come along and be a spectator.
• Check out the views from the viewing tower located behind The Point Restaurant .

Events at Albert Park

Each year Albert Parks hosts some of Melbourne's most spectacular cultural and sporting events:

• The Million Paws Walk held in May.
• Fun Runs are held throughout the year.
• The ING Australian Grand Prix Carnival takes place in March.
• The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure is held in October.

Organising a public event?

Each year Parks Victoria invites Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified individuals or organisations who wish to conduct events at Albert Park Reserve. A range of sporting, cultural and leisure based event proposals are invited, including those which support charitable organisations.

Event proposals will be assessed for inclusion in the annual Albert Park Calendar of Events for 2010/2011. The assessment will address the need to balance Parks Victoria's objectives and the values of the event with impacts on the park environment, visitors, staff and stakeholders.

If you are wishing to organise a public event in Albert Park you are required to complete an Expression of Interest form.

Guidelines for organising an event and information to assist event organisers in filling out their expression of interest form is available here.

Respondents are to lodge their EOI responses by email to AlbertParkEvents@parks.vic.gov.au by 5.00pm Wednesday 10 February 2010.

• Nine picnic areas, most with barbecue, shelters and toilets. All BBQs and shelters are shared facilities. No marquees, structures or other infrastructure to be erected.
• Open space areas can be booked for events including, walkathons, fun runs or any charitable event. To book an area complete the Albert Park Expression of Interest to Hold a Public Event form (located under Permits and Licenses at the bottom of this page).
• There are playgrounds ranging from lawns to purpose-built play equipment.
• Baby changing and disabled facilities.
• Restaurants and function centres that take in the views of the lake and the passing parade.
• Indoor sporting facilities include swimming, diving, basketball, netball, badminton, squash, table tennis, indoor cricket or become a member of the gym.
• Outdoor sporting facilities cater for cricket, football, soccer, baseball, hockey, lawn bowls, tennis and boating.
• Albert Park 18 Hole Public Golf Course and Golf Driving Range.
• The Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
• Junction Oval where several public sporting events are held

Please note that permits will not be issued for the exclusive use of barbeque or picnic areas or open space activities at Albert Park. Barbeque and picnic areas are free and available for shared use on a first-come, first-served basis.

The following activities require a permit issued by Parks Victoria and will incur a fee:

• Any activity with temporary infrastructure including signage, tents or pop-up marquees, animal farms etc.
• Professional filming and photography
• Wedding ceremonies (permitted within the park only if the reception is to be held at one of the park's function centres or restaurants).

To apply for a permit for a private function please complete the Albert Park Private Function Booking Form. If you are unsure as to whether your activity requires a permit please contact Parks Victoria on 13 1963.

Parking

Parking fees apply to all car parks and kerbside parking spaces within Albert Park. Time restrictions and ticket requirements will be shown on parking signs within the park. To avoid parking fines tickets must be displayed prominently on the dashboard. Further information regarding parking restrictions, fees and permits can be found here.

Evidence indicates that Aborigines inhabited Albert Park and the surrounds some 40,000 years ago. Albert Park was a series of swamps and lagoons that provided edible vegetation. In 1864 the Park was proclaimed a public park and named Albert Park in honour of Queen Victoria's devoted consort, Prince Albert. Over the ensuing years Albert Park was used as a tip, as a camp for the armed services, for scenic drives and for many forms of recreation.

Today the magnificent Albert Park is enjoyed by approximately five million visitors annually. Vestiges of Albert Park's Aboriginal history still remain, the most noticeable being the large ancient River Red Gum Tree, reputed to be the site of many corroborees. It is thought to be over 300 years old, the oldest remnant tree in the Port Phillip area, located next to Junction Oval on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Queens Road, St Kilda.

The Clarendon Street gates are the best manifestations of European history. Originally built of wooden pickets in 1910, they were cast in wrought iron in 1939 and can still be seen today.

Aboriginal Traditional Owners

Parks Victoria acknowledges the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Victoria - including its parks and reserves. Through their cultural traditions, Aboriginal people maintain their connection to their ancestral lands and waters.
Further information is available from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria AAV and Native Title Services Victoria

Over 100 bird species have been recorded in the park including wetland species such as the Cattle Egret, Common Tern, Eastern Curlew, Great Egret, Pomarine Jaeger, Pelicans and White-throated Needletail. Black Swans, and Pacific Black Ducks are common, both feeding and breeding in the park.

Native mammals, reptiles and amphibians in the park include Common Bent-wing Bats. Common Brushtail Possums, Glossy Grass Skinks and Common Froglets.

Albert Park contains four wetland areas, three within Albert Park Lake and one in the Corroboree Tree Area.

The two native vegetation communities in the park are Grassy Wetlands and Plain Grass Woodlands. The most significant areas of vegetation are on Gunn Island and around the Corroboree Tree.

The islands at the north end of the lake provide habitats for native wildlife such as wetland and migratory birds.

A vegetation survey was completed in July 1992, identifying 117 species. The vegetation cover of Albert Park is largely composed of a mixture of native and exotic trees. New avenues of exotic trees have been established alongside roadways, pathways, important edges and in car parks. Groups of native tree species will be planted primarily between sports fields and in the under used 'corners' of the park. The bulk of the vegetation is located around the perimeter of the park, along roadsides or between fairways in the golf courses. The trees are generally either in avenues or clusters.

• Please remember to keep your dog on a leash when in the park.
• Place your rubbish in the bins provided.
• All plants and animals in the park are protected - please leave them for others to enjoy.

There are trams in Albert Road and Fitzroy Street and a Light Rail along Canterbury Road, with entrances from Albert Road (Melway ref: 2K G4), Queens Road (Melway ref: 2L B11) and Fitzroy Street (Melway ref: 58 B8). Ticket parking is available throughout the park.

Lake, Paths and Picnic Areas

Albert Park has a network of paths linking the main path around the lake with various access points and car parks. The Lake Path is wide and flat, with seating at regular intervals. Picnic areas within the park generally lack formal paths between facilities, but access is mostly good over flat ground. The picnic tables have clearance for wheelchairs. Toilet facilities meet many access criteria.

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