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.
Free first, always. Four places had enough on the official record for us to stand behind them: two parks in South Morang, a splash park and play space in Mill Park, and a library in Mernda.
Cost matters on a page like this, so here is exactly what we know. None of the official pages we copied from lists an entry charge for these four places. That is not a promise that everything inside is free, so check the official page for any program or booking before you go. Each entry has its facilities and its listed hours where an official page gives them.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Bush walking tracks, a picnic or birdwatching | 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 |
| A splash pad and an all-abilities play space | Mill Park Recreation Reserve (Mill Park All Abilities Play Space and Splash Park) | 29W Morang Drive, Mill Park |
| A rainy-day option with free Wi-Fi | Mernda Library | 180 Riverdale Boulevard (Shop MM3, 16/180 Riverdale Boulevard), Mernda |
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 “offers a wide range of natural and cultural experiences only 20 km from Melbourne”. Its page for the park says to “Walk the tracks to the beautiful gorge”, and its Red Gum Car Park page describes the wetlands as a place where “seasonal migratory birds and local species gather”. For picnics, its Hawkstowe Picnic Area page says “Electric BBQs, picnic shelters, accessible toilets and play spaces are available.” Parks Victoria’s Red Gum Car Park page says dogs are welcome there but must remain on-lead and “are not allowed in the Morang Wetlands”; its Hawkstowe Picnic Area page says “No dogs allowed”, so read the site page for the entrance you plan to use. The page for the Hawkstowe Picnic Area says the automatic gate at the Gordons Road entrance runs “between 7:00am to 5:00pm (standard time) and 7:00am to 7:00pm (daylight savings time)”.
Free first: the walking tracks; the page we read lists no entry charge, and mentions “a free guided Park Walk” in Victoria’s parks without giving dates for this one.
Red Oaks Park — 595 The Lakes Boulevard, South Morang VIC 3752
The City of Whittlesea page for Red Oaks Park says: “This park has an area of 3.6 hectares. Its facilities include lake, boardwalk, picnic facilities, rotunda, and walking trails.” That is the whole of what the council says on the page we copied, so there is no list of toilets, parking or opening times to pass on. We could not read an opening time for it.
Get there: the council gives the address as 595 The Lakes Boulevard, South Morang 3752; use the PTV journey planner for a public transport route.
Mill Park Recreation Reserve (Mill Park All Abilities Play Space and Splash Park) — 29W Morang Drive, Mill Park VIC 3082
This one is in Mill Park, south of South Morang, not in South Morang itself. The council calls it a “huge 16-hectare park” with an “all-abilities play space”, plus a “water play splash pad with shooting jets, misting rings accessible water play tables and manual water pumps”. It also lists “picnic areas, barbecues and shelters” and “toilets (including a Changing Places facility)”. We did not find opening times or a splash pad season on the page we copied.
Plan it: check the council page for when the splash pad is running before you drive, since the page we read gives no season.
Mernda Library — 180 Riverdale Boulevard (Shop MM3, 16/180 Riverdale Boulevard), Mernda VIC 3754
Inside Mernda Town Centre you will find Mernda Library, one of the branches of Yarra Plenty Regional Library. The library’s page lists “Free Wi-Fi” and “Coworking Space”. The City of Whittlesea describes a “free tea and coffee station, community lounge, public computers, charging lockers for your personal devices, and coworking space”. The library’s page lists Sunday closed, Monday to Wednesday and Friday 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and Thursday 9:30 AM to 8:30 PM. Its weekly table does not list Saturday, but the page showed the library open on the Saturday we read it, so check the page for Saturday’s hours.
Rain backup: this is the indoor option on the page, with hours the library publishes itself.
Quick answers
What free things can I do in South Morang itself?
Two of the four places have South Morang addresses: Plenty Gorge Parklands, with walking tracks, picnic areas and wetlands, and Red Oaks Park, with a lake, boardwalk, picnic facilities, rotunda and walking trails. The official pages we copied list no entry charge for either.
Is there a splash park near South Morang?
Mill Park Recreation Reserve has a “water play splash pad” per the City of Whittlesea. It is in Mill Park, south of South Morang. We did not find a season or opening times on the page we copied, so check the council page first.
Where can I go on a rainy day?
Mernda Library, in Mernda Town Centre, lists free Wi-Fi, a coworking space and public computers. The library’s own weekly table lists Sunday closed and Thursday open until 8:30 PM. It does not list Saturday, but the page showed the library open on the Saturday we read it, so check the page for Saturday’s hours.
Are there free guided walks at Plenty Gorge?
Parks Victoria’s page for the park mentions “a free guided Park Walk in one of Victoria’s beautiful parks”. It does not give dates for Plenty Gorge in what we copied, so check the Parks Victoria page before you plan around one.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 3 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, government pages and council pages. Facilities and opening hours change, so check the official page before you go. The cover photo is from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0), and it does not show any place 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
- 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
- Mill Park Recreation Reserve (Mill Park All Abilities Play Space and Splash Park): openstreetmap.org/582219994, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Mill-Park-Recreation-Reserve
- Mernda Library: openstreetmap.org/10566587808, yprl.vic.gov.au/mernda-library, whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Mernda-Library
