Sometimes the best adventures begin close to home.
On Friday 25 August 2017, Green Trails Day Hikes held its very first Meetup event: a last-minute afternoon walk through Brimbank Park in Keilor East.
This was more than simply a convenient location for a short local hike. Brimbank Park was one of my childhood playgrounds. I spent countless hours exploring it by bike, following its paths and discovering every corner I could reach. Years later, it felt fitting to return on foot and make it the starting point for my journey into organising and leading group hikes.
A last-minute beginning
The walk was added to Meetup at very short notice and advertised as an easy, accessible outing suitable for almost anyone.
Our original plan was to cover approximately seven kilometres, mainly on paved paths with a short gravel section and a few gentle hills. We expected to be finished by around 2:15pm, and participants were advised to carry up to a litre of water.
Given the late notice, only one other person joined me. That made us a very small hiking group of two—but every group has to begin somewhere.
The smaller turnout also gave us plenty of flexibility. Instead of finishing after the planned seven kilometres, we decided to keep exploring and extended the walk into neighbouring Horseshoe Bend Reserve.
Our Brimbank Park hike at a glance
- Date: Friday 25 August 2017
- Location: Brimbank Park and Horseshoe Bend, Keilor East
- Distance: 10.55 kilometres
- Elevation gain: 182 metres
- Walking time: 2 hours 24 minutes
- Participants: Two
- Terrain: Predominantly paved shared paths with some gravel sections
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate, with several gentle climbs
Walking through the Maribyrnong River valley
Brimbank Park lies approximately 15 kilometres north-west of central Melbourne and forms part of the Maribyrnong Valley Parklands. Although surrounded by Melbourne’s north-western suburbs, the park feels surprisingly spacious once its paths descend from the surrounding plains into the river valley.
The Maribyrnong River curves around much of the park, passing open grassland, rocky escarpments and stands of mature River Red Gums. The river has carved a natural basin below the surrounding volcanic plains, creating a landscape with more variation—and more climbing—than visitors might expect from a metropolitan park.
The park sits on the Country of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, whose connection with the Maribyrnong River valley reaches back many thousands of years. The waterways and surrounding plains provided places for movement, gathering and access to seasonal resources. That continuing cultural connection adds another dimension to a landscape many people now encounter primarily as a place for walking, cycling and picnicking.
European farming later altered much of the valley. Grazing properties were established during the nineteenth century, followed by dairy farms, orchards and market gardens. Brimbank Park itself was created as public open space during the 1970s, with its first stage opening in 1976.
One explanation for the park’s name is that early farmers drove their livestock around the “brim of the bank” of the Maribyrnong River. Whether walking along the river or climbing towards the edge of the valley, it is easy to see how the surrounding bank became such a defining feature.
Extending the walk into Horseshoe Bend
Because there were only two of us and we were making good time, we extended the original route through Horseshoe Bend.
This quieter area follows another bend in the Maribyrnong River and feels removed from the busier picnic and recreation areas of Brimbank Park. Gravel tracks and the river setting make it a worthwhile addition for walkers who have enough time and want to explore beyond the park’s most familiar paths.
Horseshoe Bend also preserves signs of the valley’s farming history. A weatherboard cottage dating from the 1930s and associated farm buildings remain near the loop, providing a tangible connection to the people who once worked this land.
Adding Horseshoe Bend increased our planned seven-kilometre walk to 10.55 kilometres. By the time we finished, we had accumulated 182 metres of elevation gain and had been walking for two hours and 24 minutes.
A small but meaningful first hike
This wasn’t a dramatic mountain ascent or a journey into remote wilderness. It was a local walk with two people, organised at the last minute in a park I had known since childhood.
That is precisely what made it such an appropriate beginning.
Leading walks does not have to start with a large group or an ambitious route. Sometimes it begins by choosing a familiar place, publishing an event and seeing who turns up. Our extended walk through Brimbank Park and Horseshoe Bend became the first entry in what I hoped would be a much longer series of shared outdoor experiences.
The only other person to join me on that first walk later became a hike leader for Green Trails Day Hikes. What began as a last-minute afternoon walk with just two people ultimately helped form one of the group’s earliest leadership connections. Looking back, it seems fitting that the person who shared the group’s very first outing would go on to help guide other members on future hikes.
Our group hikes are organised and managed through Meetup. If you have hiking experience and would like to help others discover Victoria’s trails, learn more about becoming a hike leader with Green Trails and what the role involves.
From childhood bike rides to the first Green Trails Day Hikes event, Brimbank Park has been part of my own outdoor story for a long time. On this particular Friday, it became the place where a new chapter began.
Planning a walk at Brimbank Park
Brimbank Park contains more than 10 kilometres of tracks, including predominantly sealed shared paths and connections with the longer Maribyrnong River Trail. Horseshoe Bend offers an additional short gravel loop beside the river.
Walkers planning a visit should consult the Brimbank Park information and current conditions provided by Parks Victoria. Routes, access and river crossings can be affected by weather, flooding or park works.
Interested in joining a future walk? View this event and join Green Trails Day Hikes on Meetup.