Cherry Lake

Cherry Lake is a 50-hectare artificial lake and reserve in Altona, within the City of Hobsons Bay, Victoria, about 13 kilometres southwest of Melbourne. Created in the 1970s as a flood-retarding basin and wildlife habitat, it is now a popular urban parkland. The lake is surrounded by walking and cycling trails, open grasslands and wetlands, and is noted for birdwatching, with over 100 bird species recorded.

Visitors can expect a large open lake surrounded by flat grasslands, wetlands and a 3.7 km shared walking and cycling circuit. The reserve offers bird hides and viewing areas for waterbirds, picnic lawns, barbecues and a playground. The landscape is open and exposed with paved and gravel paths, seating and shelters, suitable for walking, jogging, cycling, photography and relaxed picnics with views across the lake.

Cherry Lake was developed in the 1970s by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works as a flood retarding basin to manage stormwater from surrounding suburbs. The area was formerly a natural swamp and saltmarsh. The project created the permanent lake and surrounding parkland, which was later landscaped and opened as a public reserve for recreation and wildlife conservation.

The reserve is valued as an important urban wetland and community recreation space for Hobsons Bay. It provides habitat for native waterbirds and is a well-used local park for walking, cycling and community gatherings, reflecting the area's focus on coastal and wetland conservation close to Melbourne.