Technical Tours
Birrarung and the City: Melbourne’s Public Realm (Walking Tour)
Technical Tour One
Join this curated walking tour along the Birrarung and through Melbourne’s central city to explore how landscape-led design is reshaping public space, reconnecting people to place and delivering greener, more inclusive urban environment. Guided by the City of Melbourne, the tour showcases a range of completed and emerging projects that demonstrate innovation in planning, play, water-sensitive design and civic landscapes.
Highlights include the Southbank Boulevard precinct, where streets have been transformed into a linear park and greener public realm including the Rocks on Wheels playground and surrounding revitalised spaces. Participants will explore the Floating Wetlands at Enterprise Park, a contemporary example of ecological design within a dense urban context before visiting the birthplace of Parks and Leisure Australia near the Arts Centre.
The tour also features key elements of the Greenline project, the renewal of Birrarung Marr Playground and the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation’s test garden providing insight into experimentation, innovation and future-focused landscape design. This tour offers a unique opportunity to see how policy, design and delivery come together on the ground and to discuss lessons learned, challenges and future directions for public open space in growing cities.
Date: Wednesday 2 December
Time: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Meeting Point: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
What to wear/bring: Comfortable clothes to walk in, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle
PPE Required: No specific PPE required
Parks, Play and Cycling Infrastructure: Inner Melbourne (Cycling Tour)
Technical Tour Two
Join this guided cycle tour through inner Melbourne, Docklands and Parkville to explore how parks, recreation spaces and cycling infrastructure support a growing city and diverse
communities. Guided by the City of Melbourne, the tour examines how design, planning and delivery intersect to create high‑quality public open space and active transport networks.
Beginning at Batman Park, participants will ride along the northern edge of the Birrarung, staying close to the water and experiencing the river as a vital civic and recreational corridor, stopping along the way at a number of parks and passing some of the floating wetlands, a government funded project demonstrating innovative ecological design in a dense urban environment.
The tour continues along River Esplanade, where participants will visit Shed 21, home to Game4Padel, showcasing a successful model for leasing recreation space within the public realm.
From Docklands, the route follows Harbour Esplanade to the Dixon Veloway, a 2.5‑kilometre elevated cycling connection between central Melbourne and the western suburbs. The tour also features Docklands Park and the Footscray Road Pump Track, before meandering along Mooney Ponds Creek to our final major stop at Royal Park, to see the award‑winning Nature Play Playground and visit the Grassland Circle - two exemplary projects reflecting nature‑based design, landscape restoration and collaboration across multiple councils.
The tour concludes with a return ride to Batman Park back along Moonee Ponds Creek.
This cycle tour offers a valuable opportunity to experience a range of completed projects firsthand, discuss lessons learned and explore future directions for parks, recreation and cycling infrastructure in Melbourne’s inner city.
Date: Wednesday 2 December
Time: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Meeting Point: Batman Park
What to wear/bring: comfortable clothes to ride a bike in, sunscreen and a water bottle
Equipment Required: Hire bike – conventional or electric (note: this tour covers 20km)
Incredible Botanic Gardens – Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne and Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens
Technical Tour Three
This tour includes a detailed look at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne and the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden. The Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is made up of the Australian Garden, an award-winning, contemporary botanic garden, and the surrounding 300 hectares of remnant native bushland. Cranbourne Gardens is recognised as a site of State significance for plant and wildlife conservation, home to over 25 endangered or rare and threatened species.
Completed in October 2012, the Australian Garden was transformed from a sand mine and scrub to a botanic garden of international standing. The Australian Garden aims to show visitors the diversity, beauty and functionality of Australian native plants. The remnant bushland at Cranbourne Gardens is actively managed to control the number of non-indigenous plants and exotic weeds.
The Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden is Victoria’s premier cool-climate botanic garden. Set across 50 hectares with breathtaking views over the Yarra Valley, this expansive retreat features stunning collections of
rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and more, set among a mix of native and exotic trees. Seasonal changes ensure the garden is a year-round delight.
Home to more than 15,000 rhododendrons, 12,000 azaleas, 3,000 camellias, and 250,000 daffodils, the garden bursts into colour in spring and autumn.
A large-scale recreation of the award-winning Australian Garden, which won Best in Show at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show, is now on permanent display, along with the new Cloud Forest conservation garden.
Date: Wednesday 2 December
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Meeting Point: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
What to wear/bring: Comfortable clothes to walk in, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle
PPE Required: No specific PPE required
Award Winning Parks and Playgrounds in Melbourne’s North and West
Technical Tour Four
Visit PLA award winning parks and
playgrounds in the north and west of Melbourne:
- Romsey Ecotherapy Park - former Vic/Tas Park of the Year – Shire of Macedon Ranges
- Kyneton Botanic Gardens and Kyneton Community Park (playspace within the Gardens)
- Bunjil nganga Parkland Quarry Hills including Granite Hills Major Community Park, Trails, Gathering Space – City of Whittlesea
Bunjil nganga (meaning 'eagle view') Parkland, the largest parkland in the City of Whittlesea, and home to exciting new community spaces such as the Granite Hills Major Community Park and an Aboriginal Gathering Place, has become a rich and inspiring destination.
You will hear about various walking and bike trails that showcase the natural beauty of the parkland, as well as highlight its significance to the traditional owners of the land, the Wurundjeri Willum Clan.
Granite Hills Major Community Park was built at a cost of about $8 million and just opened at the end of last year. It features:
- an adventure park and playground
- open-air pavilion
- public barbecues
- picnic settings
- giant slides
- lawn maze
- boardwalk
- nature and water play
- public toilets with a Changing
- Places facility
Date: Wednesday 2 December
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Meeting Point: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
What to wear/bring: Comfortable clothes to walk in, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle
PPE Required: No specific PPE required
Aquatic Facilities and Indoor Stadiums
Technical Tour Five
Tour of aquatic and leisure centres across Melbourne:
- Kensington Community Recreation Centre - local community, multi-purpose, opened this year.
- Bundha Sports Centre - only vertical sports court
- development in Aus.
- Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre - newish,
- large-scale 6-star green star centre.
- Narrandjeri Stadium - sports courts set in Darebin
- International Sports Precinct (e.g. soccer, velodrome, bowls, etc).
Date: Wednesday 2 December
Time: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Meeting Point: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
What to wear/bring: Comfortable clothes to walk in and a water bottle
PPE Required: No specific PPE required
Participation and Inclusion – Parks Victoria Examples St Kilda and Out West
Technical Tour Six
Visit the new Sensory Garden at Serendip Sanctuary which is an inclusive nature-based space designed to connect visitors with the environment and Wadawurrung culture through sight,
sound, smell, touch and taste. Developed through a community co-design process with Traditional Owners and local organisations, the garden removes barriers to nature-based experiences and promotes learning, accessibility and cultural
understanding. This project strengthens community connection to Country while creating a welcoming and accessible destination for visitors of all ages and abilities.
Then stop at Werribee Park Community Gardens to hear stories about parks, horticulture, engaging diverse communities
in parks, supporting mental health and setting up people for employment in the parks/horticulture industries.
Finally visit the new $53m St Kilda pier and penguin breakwater, an iconic facility offering spectacular views of the Melbourne Skyline and providing access for sunbaking, swimming, fishing, promenading and boating. The adjoining breakwater supports
some 1400 penguins.
Date: Wednesday 2 December
Time: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Meeting Point: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
What to wear/bring: Comfortable clothes to walk in, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle
PPE Required: No specific PPE required
Submit an enquiry
Use the form below to get in touch with the Conference Organisers. We’ll review your enquiry and respond as quickly as we can.
Alternatively, you can contact the Conference Organisers via phone on +61 7 3876 4988.