Correction (3 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 3 October 2026.
This page sticks to what the official pages say about each park, and stops where they stop. Six parks made the list, and all six have South Morang addresses. Five come from City of Whittlesea park pages and one, Plenty Gorge Parklands, from Parks Victoria.
The council’s pages are short: the descriptions we read are a line or two of facilities plus an address, with no route lengths. Where a page does not name toilets, shade or fencing, we say “not named” and leave it there. Parks Victoria’s page is the detailed one, and it is also where the dog rules get complicated.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Where |
|---|---|---|
| A council park with walking trails, seating and a playground | Poppy Park | 8 - 10 Poppy Drive, South Morang |
| A suburban park with a playground | Huntingfield Park | 11W Chamonix Parade, South Morang |
| A suburban park with a playground | Zieria Park | 18W Zieria Drive, South Morang |
| A playground with a barbecue | Allan Avenue Park | Allan Avenue Park, South Morang |
| Gorge walks, picnic areas and dog rules that change by site | Plenty Gorge Parklands (Plenty Gorge Park) | Red Gum Car Park, Gordons Road (off Plenty Road), South Morang |
| A lake, a boardwalk and picnic facilities | Red Oaks Park | 595 The Lakes Boulevard, South Morang |
Poppy Park — 8 - 10 Poppy Drive, South Morang VIC 3752
The City of Whittlesea page says: “This park has an area of 1.0 hectares. Its facilities include walking trails, seating and playground.” That is the whole description, so the page names a playground and seating but not fencing, shade or toilets.
Distance / grade / surface: not stated; the council names walking trails without a length, grade or surface.
Huntingfield Park — 11W Chamonix Parade, South Morang VIC 3752
The council describes it in one line: “This suburban park has a playground.” The “W” in the street number is the council’s own notation.
Start at: 11W Chamonix Parade, the address on the council’s page.
Zieria Park — 18W Zieria Drive, South Morang VIC 3752
The council’s description matches Huntingfield Park’s: “This suburban park has a playground.” Nothing else is listed on the page we read.
Water and toilets: not named in the council’s one-line description.
Allan Avenue Park — Allan Avenue Park, South Morang VIC 3752
The council says: “This suburban park has a playground and barbecue.” It is the only one of the five council parks here that lists a barbecue.
Start at: the council gives the park’s name as its address and publishes no street number, so search the name on a map.
Plenty Gorge Parklands (Plenty Gorge Park) — Red Gum Car Park, Gordons Road (off Plenty Road), South Morang VIC 3752
Parks Victoria says Plenty Gorge Park is approximately 20km north of Melbourne in South Morang. Its page invites visitors to “walk the tracks to the beautiful gorge”, and says electric BBQs, picnic shelters, accessible toilets and play spaces are available. It also describes the wetlands as a spot for birdwatching.
The Red Gum Car Park is accessed from Gordons Road, off Plenty Road, and Parks Victoria describes it as the start of the walk to Morang Wetlands. The Gordons Road entrance to the Hawkstowe Picnic Area has an automatic gate, and Parks Victoria lists its opening hours as 7:00am to 5:00pm in standard time and 7:00am to 7:00pm in daylight savings time.
Dog rules change from site to site, so read the sign at the gate. Parks Victoria says dogs must be kept on lead on the Red Gum Car Park trail and are not allowed in the Morang Wetlands. It lists Hawkstowe Picnic Area as “No dogs allowed” and Middle Gorge as “Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash”. For Blue Lake it says: “Blue-green algae is present in Blue Lake. Swimming and fishing is not advised in this area.”
Start at: Red Gum Car Park, off Gordons Road; the weather call is the Bureau of Meteorology forecast on the day.
Red Oaks Park — 595 The Lakes Boulevard, South Morang VIC 3752
The council says: “This park has an area of 3.6 hectares. Its facilities include lake, boardwalk, picnic facilities, rotunda, and walking trails.” It is the one park on this list where the council names a lake and a boardwalk.
Water and toilets: not named in the council’s facility line, which lists picnic facilities but no toilets.
Quick answers
Which South Morang parks have a playground?
The council’s pages list a playground at Poppy Park, Huntingfield Park, Zieria Park and Allan Avenue Park. Parks Victoria also lists play spaces at Plenty Gorge Parklands.
Can I take my dog to Plenty Gorge Parklands?
It depends on the site. Parks Victoria says dogs must stay on lead on the Red Gum Car Park trail and are not allowed in the Morang Wetlands, and it lists Hawkstowe Picnic Area as no dogs allowed. It says dogs are allowed on a leash at Middle Gorge.
Which park has a barbecue?
The council says Allan Avenue Park has a playground and barbecue. Parks Victoria says electric BBQs and picnic shelters are available at Plenty Gorge Parklands.
What time does the Hawkstowe Picnic Area gate open?
Parks Victoria lists the gate hours at the Gordons Road entrance as 7:00am to 5:00pm in standard time and 7:00am to 7:00pm in daylight savings time. Check the Parks Victoria page for the current notice before you drive out.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 3 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, council pages and government pages. Facilities and opening hours change, so check the official page before you go. The photos are illustrative, from Unsplash: they show the kind of place, not the places on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Poppy Park: openstreetmap.org/582224976, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Poppy-Park
- Huntingfield Park: openstreetmap.org/165790853, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Huntingfield-Park
- Zieria Park: openstreetmap.org/582206818, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Zieria-Park
- Allan Avenue Park: openstreetmap.org/586343324, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Allan-Avenue-Park
- Plenty Gorge Parklands (Plenty Gorge Park): openstreetmap.org/9278364, parks.vic.gov.au/plenty-gorge-parklands, parks.vic.gov.au/red-gum-car-park-(plenty-gorge), parks.vic.gov.au/hawkstowe-picnic-area, parks.vic.gov.au/middle-gorge
- Red Oaks Park: openstreetmap.org/1160305157, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Red-Oaks-Park
