Bushy Park Wetlands is a 30 hectares (74.1 acre) conservation park in Glen Waverley, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. On the edge of suburbia, it is bounded by Dandenong Creek

Dandenong Creek

Dandenong Creek, originally known as Narra Narrawong, runs from the Dandenong Ranges in the Dandenong Ranges National Park, in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, through the urban areas of Boronia and The Basin, eventually meeting Mordialloc Creek and the manmade Patterson River...

 and houses along King Arthur Drive and Knights Drive. There is a cycling and walking path, and a bird watching hide, where egrets, pelicans, coots, dusky moorhen, ibis and occasionally spoonbill can be observed. It is accessible from the end of Highbury Road, or at the Drummies Bridge Reserve off High Street Road. It is also connected by the Dandenong Creek Trail

Dandenong Creek Trail

The Dandenong Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Dandenong Creek through the outer eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the Path:...

 to Shepherd Park, Koomba Park

Koomba Park

Koomba Park is one of the parks comprising the Dandenong Valley Parklands in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It consists of 92 hectares, of which 33 hectares is publicly accessible, and is bounded by the Dandenong Creek, Boronia Road, EastLink, Mountain Highway and Burwood Highway in a...

 and Napier Park.

History

The name "Bushy Park" dates from the 1840s, when it was used for grazing cattle, but has referred to various locations in the vicinity, including what is now Jells Park

Jells Park

Jells Park is a public park in Wheelers Hill, a suburb to the south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opening on 30 April 1976, the park attracts in excess of 700,000 visitors a year. The park is in excess of 127 hectares and contains 9 kilometres of bike paths. The Dandenong Creek Trail runs...

.

In recent years, the wetlands is managed by Parks Victoria

Parks Victoria

-Department:Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 1998 makes Parks Victoria responsible for managing national parks, reserves and other land under the control of the state,...

 with assistance from a local community group, Friends of Bushy Park Wetlands. It forms part of the Dandenong Valley Parklands. Cattle continue to graze the area, to keep the grass short and to "preserve the rural heritage" of the site.

Sources

• http://www.about-australia.com/travel-guides/victoria/melbourne/attractions/natural/bushy-park-wetlands/
• Friends of Bushy Park Wetlands
• http://www.totaltravel.com.au/travel/vic/melbournearea/easternsuburbsmelbourne/guide/bushy-park-wetlands
• http://www.monash.vic.gov.au/maps/reserves/res_area32.htm - map.

Further reading

• http://www.monash.vic.gov.au/history/c-historic.html - historic background.