Lysterfield Park

Lysterfield Park is a 1,398-hectare park in Lysterfield, about 30 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, managed by Parks Victoria and adjoining Churchill National Park. Centred on Lysterfield Lake, constructed in 1936 as a water supply reservoir, the park is notable for its extensive mountain bike trail network, walking tracks and water-based recreation. It features bushland, open grassy areas and lake frontage and serves as a major outdoor recreation reserve for south-eastern Melbourne.

Visitors can expect a large bushland park centred on Lysterfield Lake with open grassy picnic areas, eucalypt woodland and a network of marked trails. The lake provides a sandy beach area for swimming, launching points for canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding with non-powered vessels, and views across the water. On land there are walking and running tracks of varying length, a nationally recognised mountain bike trail network, horse riding trails, and opportunities for birdwatching and wildlife viewing. Facilities are concentrated around the lake and main picnic areas.

The area is on the Country of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri peoples. From the mid-19th century it was used for pastoralism, orchards and timber cutting, with later quarrying. Lysterfield Lake was constructed in 1936 by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission to supply water to the Dandenong area. The surrounding land was gradually acquired for public recreation and conservation, with Lysterfield Park and adjoining Churchill National Park established in the late 1970s to 1980s and now managed by Parks Victoria.

The park is recognised as part of Aboriginal cultural landscape of the Kulin Nation and is valued as a major community recreation and conservation reserve for south-eastern Melbourne, supporting outdoor recreation, nature appreciation and environmental education.