Emerald Lake Park

Emerald Lake Park is a large recreational park in Emerald in the Shire of Cardinia, Victoria, within the Dandenong Ranges. Centred on the man-made Emerald Lake, it is known for its bushland setting, walking trails, picnic areas and as a terminus for the Puffing Billy heritage railway. The park combines natural lake scenery with family attractions, gardens and heritage features, serving as a major day-use destination east of Melbourne.

Visitors can expect a landscaped lake surrounded by bushland and parkland with sealed lakeside paths, picnic lawns, barbecues and playgrounds. The lake offers paddleboat hire, while the Puffing Billy Railway's Emerald Lake and Nobelius stations are within the park. Areas to explore include walking trails around the lake and through surrounding forest, a model railway display, wading pool, and cafes. The setting is family-oriented with open spaces, gardens and forested walks.

Emerald Lake was formed following construction of a dam to supply water and later developed as a recreational reserve. The area is associated with the historic Nobelius Nursery established by Carl Axel Nobelius in the early 1900s, and the narrow-gauge railway now operated as Puffing Billy, which opened in 1900 and was preserved as a heritage railway. The park was developed by the former Shire of Sherbrooke and later managed by Parks Victoria and Cardinia Shire Council as a regional recreation reserve.

The park is a longstanding community recreation and tourism hub for the Dandenong Ranges and Cardinia Shire, valued for family leisure, outdoor recreation and heritage railway tourism. It hosts community events and preserves elements of the district's horticultural and railway heritage.