Studley Park - A Picnic Outing

It is already the month of March. How quickly has the days gone by. Its early autumn here at Down Under and the days has cooled down somewhat, though a touch humid. It looks like a good time to have a picnic and so a couple of our friends decided to do just that.

There are a number of parks around Melbourne and we chose the Studley Park picnic area, near the Studley Park Boathouse, as it has been awhile since any of us last been there.

Studley Park is part of the 642 acres Yarra Bend Park and the Yarra River runs across the park. It is located 4 km north-east of the Melbourne CBD in the suburb of Kew.

There are a number of shared use tracks for cyclists and pedestrians. The Capital City Trail and Yarra River Trail both pass through the park. There are also circuit trails that take you to Dights Falls and Deep Rock. Organised bushwalking and bird watching tours are available and according to the Yarra Bend Park website, there is even a tour to the Grey-headed Flying Fox colony, a colony that relocated from the Royal Botanic Gardens in 2003.

Canoes, kayaks and row boats can be hired from the Studley Park Boathouse. It is a popular activity along the river, for many, young and old. Fishing is possible along the Yarra River but I notice that the water is brownish and muddy. I wonder if the fish would be good eating or muddy in its taste.

The Studley Park Boathouse offers several choices for the visitors to enjoy the place. The opportunity to dine in the restaurant, relax over a lighter meal in the indoor or outdoor cafe or have a light snack from the kiosk under the shade of the trees surrounded by the views of the Yarra River and natural bushland.

There are short walking trails around the picnic area, but not straying too far from our picnic patch, there is Kane's Bridge to explore. Kane's Bridge was built in 1929 to link Studley Park and Yarra Bend Park. It was washed away by the floods in 1934 and rebuilt in 1935. The bridge was named after Councillor T J Kane of Collingwood, who was a member of the Yarra Bend Management Committee.

Walking over the bridge, it feels strong and stable. It is also good to see the big, thick, strong steel holding the bridge.

The thing about doing any outdoor activity is that you can never quite know what surprises you may find or encounter. On that day, at the bridge was a bridal party taking their photos. They just did not anticipate the many other users of the bridge or the amateur photographers around, not just me.

The bridal party having a bit of fun. Here's wishing the couple a blessed and the very best in their marriage.

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