Churchill National Park

Churchill National Park is a 271-hectare protected bushland reserve in Lysterfield South, about 31 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne in Victoria. Established in 1941 and renamed in 1944 after Winston Churchill, it preserves remnant eucalypt forest and open woodland on the western foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. The park is notable for its walking tracks, abundant birdlife and eastern grey kangaroos, and its direct connection to neighbouring Lysterfield Park.

Visitors can expect a quiet bushland setting of eucalypt forest, open woodland and grassy clearings on the edge of the Dandenong Ranges. The park offers a network of walking tracks of varying length, picnic areas with barbecues, and opportunities to see eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and diverse birdlife. There are no visitor centres or cafes inside the park; the experience is focused on nature walking, birdwatching, photography and picnicking in a natural environment adjoining Lysterfield Park.

The area was formerly part of the Dandenong Police Paddocks used for police horse grazing and later farming. Reserved as Dandenong National Park in February 1941, it was renamed Churchill National Park in 1944 in honour of Winston Churchill. The park preserves one of the last remnants of original vegetation in the Dandenong Valley and has been managed for conservation and low-impact recreation since the 1940s.

The park lies on the traditional Country of the Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. It is valued as a conserved bushland landscape close to suburban Melbourne, providing opportunities for nature appreciation, education and passive recreation, and is managed by Parks Victoria as part of the broader Dandenong Valley parklands.