Westgate Park

Westgate Park offers a range of attractions and activities in close proximity to the city. It is located along the eastern banks of the Yarra River under the Westgate Bridge offering spectacular views to the mouth of the Yarra and the city skyline. As a result of its regeneration, Westgate Park is now a haven for a variety of bird species including stilts, ibis, ducks, gulls, coots, pelicans, swans and moorhens.

The area was originally part of the saltmarsh that extended north from the Yarra up the Maribyrnong River to the present site of Fiemington Racecourse. Sand mining commenced in the 1930s and continued for at least a decade. Part of the excavated land was filled with water to form the southern saltwater lake. The remainder of the park was used as a rubbish tip, which operated for 23 years. During World War II an aircraft factory and airfield occupied the site.