Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve

Families' Pick 2026 · Melbourne: picked by the Funtivities team as a standout for families in Melbourne.

Last updated October 2026

Free bushland reserve in Mitcham with five short walking trails, a pram-friendly wetlands walk and a Sunday information centre.

Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve is 7.2 hectares of native bushland in the Mullum Mullum Creek Valley in Mitcham, managed by Whitehorse City Council with a volunteer advisory committee. It has five self-guided walks of 20 to 60 minutes, each with a free audio guide in the Yarran Dheran app. The Wetlands Walk is 1km, about 20 minutes, flat and pram-friendly; other tracks are steeper or uneven gravel bush trails. Visitors can bushwalk, birdwatch and join free public events such as guided bird walks, frog surveys and talks, some of which need registration. The reserve is free and generally open at all times, with daylight visits recommended. The Information Centre at 1A Ashburton Drive is open Sundays 2pm to 4pm, subject to volunteer availability, and has displays for children and a digital microscope for looking at insects and leaves.

Facts checked against the venue's own website on 12 October 2026.