Our twenty-seventh walk begins and finishes at Burwood Village. When I planned this walk, I intended to walk around Burwood to visit as many parks as possible within a radius of 1-2 km from the corner of Toorak and Warrigal Roads. As I did the walk, I realised that it would end up being the longest walk (by far) that we had done, so it became obvious that I needed to do it in two bites. It is also true that we will not visit every reserve in Burwood. The reserves around Burwood have strong points of attraction, so choosing a favourite will be a challenge. I do hope that you enjoy this challenge. This walk is approximately 6km, and can be followed on Melway maps 60 and 61.
Starting from the corner of Toorak and Warrigal Roads, walk along the southern side of Toorak Road through the village, turning left into the first street (Myrniong Street). Walk past the RSL and note the wide variety of trees which have been planted, both Australian and overseas. The houses are also interesting. In just five minutes, you reach our first park, appropriately named Burwood Reserve (60 G7). As soon as I entered this park, I found a comfortable chair between a paperbark and an oak to write my notes, with a cricket match nearby. This is a great start to the journey. I also need to point out that Burwood Reserve is not technically in Burwood; it is claimed by Glen Iris. However, it is so close to Burwood Village that it feels like Burwood. When you are ready, you will notice a playground and toilet on the eastern side of the reserve where we can leave the park and walk north along Warrigal Road to the Highbury Road corner.
Cross into Highbury Road, walking along the southern side, noting the variety of older houses which we often miss while driving along this busy road. After about 10 minutes, turn right at the fifth street, which is actually named Sixth Avenue. Along the way, we also pass by Burwood Cemetery which can be visited too. Just a few minutes along Sixth Avenue, you will see an entry into our next reserve, Gardiners Reserve (60 J7) which is another sporting park, fringed with a very attractive variety of Australian trees. I walked south past the sporting fields mostly in the grassy woodland areas for at least 10 minutes to the southern end of this very large park, where there is an exit gate leading to a small playground and a short street (Octavia Court) (60 J8). At the southern end of this street, turn left at the signpost to Gardiners Creek Trail. Cross Gardiners Creek to another (newer) playground (60 J9), with seating to rest. We turn left here (north) along a section of Gardiners Creek Trail (to Highbury Road) which is also very much parkland, with a significant wetland coming up. Look out for birdlife along the 20-minute walk in this linear park.
When you reach Highbury Road (60 K7), cross at the pedestrian traffic lights near the cafe, turn left and cross the bridge over Gardiners Creek, then turn right into Local History Park, our next reserve. There are quite a number of interesting geological history plaques along this trail (although some have been removed). Look also for the “fossil bricks” and the rock types sculpture. As we walk, we pass an attractive wooden bridge, still continuing north. We also see other hints of local past history to remind us of the land use in the past.
Soon, we reach Burwood Highway (61 A6), and an easy way to divide our walk. Tram route 75 (to the city) will return you to Burwood Village in just a few minutes. Our next walk will start here, but you may like to preview this walk by crossing Burwood Highway, then turning right along the highway over Gardiners Creek, and left into the “Whitehorse Heritage Trail” for a few minutes or so of enjoyable strolling.
