Jells Park

Jells Park is a 127-hectare metropolitan park in Wheelers Hill in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, Victoria, within the Dandenong Valley Parklands and managed by Parks Victoria. Centred on the artificial Jells Lake, it is notable for its extensive walking and cycling trails, open grasslands, remnant bushland and abundant birdlife. The park is a major recreational destination for picnics, family gatherings and outdoor exercise for residents of the City of Monash and greater Melbourne.

Visitors can expect a large open parkland centred on Jells Lake with 9 km of sealed and unsealed walking and cycling trails through grasslands, wetlands and bushland. The park offers extensive picnic areas with shelters and free barbecues, large playgrounds including Jells Park Playground, Madeline's at Jells cafe, bird hides overlooking the lake, and open spaces for informal recreation. Wildlife such as waterbirds, ducks and swamp wallabies are commonly seen.

Named after Joseph Jell, a 19th-century grazier who held land in the area. The park was established in the 1970s when the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works acquired land for the Dandenong Valley Parklands. Jells Lake was constructed in 1976 as a flood-retarding basin on Scotchmans Creek and subsequently developed as a recreational lake and wetland habitat.

A major community recreation reserve for eastern Melbourne, valued as a suburban green space for family gatherings, community events, parkrun, environmental education and conservation of remnant bushland and wetland habitat within an urban setting.