FA ANDREWS RESERVE, KEW

FA Andrews Reserve is located in the westernmost tip of the Yarra Bend Park, which is a 260 hectare (642 acre) park in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. Located 4 km northeast of Melbourne's CBD, it is the largest area of natural bushland left in inner Melbourne. The most notable feature of the park is the Yarra River which flows for 12 km through it. The park hosts two golf courses, two historic boathouses, sheds and a number of cycle and walking trails. It receives approximately 1.5 million visitors per year.

There are a number of shared use tracks for cyclists and pedestrians. The Capital City Trail and Yarra River Trail both pass through the park. Organised bushwalking and birdwatching tours are available and there is even a tour to the Flying Fox colony. Some areas of the park are designated Dog Exclusion zones but dogs can be walked in On Lead and Off Lead zones. Canoes and boats can be hired from the Studley Park Boathouse. Fishing is possible in the rivers.

The park is home to many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and fish, including Rainbow Lorikeets, Red-rumped Parrots and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Water Rats and Brush-tail and Ringtail Possums.  Yarra Bend Park is also home to a colony of Grey-headed Flying Foxes. The colony took up residence in the Royal Botanic Gardens in 1986. The population varied in size from 6000 to 20,000. Because of the damage the flying foxes were causing to trees, the colony was relocated to Yarra Bend Park in 2003.

As we enter into the autumn season here in Southern Hemisphere, we are seeing cooler temperatures, more rains and the beginning of the autumn colouring in the deciduous trees.


This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

The Yarra River as it winds through Kew (left - East) and Abbotsford (right - West)

Deciduous trees are mainly exotics in Australia, and these were widely planted int he 19th century in the nation's growing cities

Beautiful old oak trees are found in this part of the park

A Californian Peppercorn Tree (Schinus areira) officially classified as an invasive "weed" in Australia 

Melbourne elms are famous the world over, as one of the heritage tree collections that have not succumbed to Dutch elm disease

A rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. It is widespread in the Melbourne area 

A male red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus), also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia

A female red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)

The magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) is a conspicuous Australian bird of small to medium size, also known as the mudlark in Victoria and Western Australia, the Murray magpie in South Australia, and as the peewee in New South Wales and Queensland

The common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis) also sometimes spelled mynah, is a member of family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas) native to Asia. It was introduced to Melbourne in 1862 to control insect pests in market gardens, however, it soon became a pest competing with native birds for nesting places and food

This high wooden fort style playground is a feature of the Reserve and it is a popular spot for kids to play