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Jells Park is a public park in
Wheelers Hill Wheelers Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 22 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Wheelers Hill recorded a population of 20,652 at the . At 152m ...
, a southeastern suburb of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The park opened on 30 April 1976 and is named after Joseph Jell, a cattle grazier who worked in the area in the mid-late 1800s. The park attracts in excess of 900,000 visitors a year. Located on the western bank of the
Dandenong Creek The Dandenong Creek ( Aboriginal Bunwurrung: ''Narra Narrawong'' or ''Dandinnong'') is an urban creek of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the eastern and south-eastern Greater Melbourne region of the Australian east coast state of Vic ...
, the park covers around and contains of paths for cycling and walking, including
Scotchmans Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Scotchmans Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Scotchmans Creek through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from East Malvern railway station through to Jells Pa ...
,
EastLink Trail The EastLink Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians in the outer eastern/southeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail gets its name from the north-south EastLink tollway, along which it follows for most of ...
, and
Dandenong Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Dandenong Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Dandenong Creek through the outer eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Route The trail can be divided int ...
which connects to
Blind Creek Trail The Blind Creek Trail, in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria, is a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Blind Creek from the Dandenong Creek Trail in Wantirna South to the Ringw ...
.


Ecology

Whilst a significant part of Jells Park has been cleared and revegetated, its biodiversity is still significant, forming part of the
Dandenong Creek The Dandenong Creek ( Aboriginal Bunwurrung: ''Narra Narrawong'' or ''Dandinnong'') is an urban creek of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the eastern and south-eastern Greater Melbourne region of the Australian east coast state of Vic ...
wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...
. Under the
ecological vegetation class An ecological vegetation class (EVC) is a component of the vegetation classification system developed and used by the state of Victoria, Australia, since 1994, for mapping floristic biodiversity. Ecological vegetation classes are groupings of vegeta ...
system, it is predominantly swampy woodland and swampy riparian woodland. The park is home to the man-made Jells Lake, with two
jetties A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...
where
recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...
is a popular activity.
European carp The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...
are present in large numbers in the wetland and have become a significant concern for its biodiversity. The lake is abutted by a grassed picnic area on the northwest, whilst an area of remnant bush surrounds the rest of the lake. This bush also contains a
bird hide A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commo ...
which can be used to spot a variety of native bird species such as
Australasian swamphen The Australasian swamphen (''Porphyrio melanotus'') is a species of swamphen (''Porphyrio'') occurring in eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand, it is known as the pu ...
s,
pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
s,
Eurasian coot The Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra''), also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-bla ...
s,
dusky moorhen The dusky moorhen (''Gallinula tenebrosa'') is a bird species in the rail family and is one of the eight extant species in the moorhen genus. It occurs in India, Australia, New Guinea, Borneo and Indonesia. It is often confused with the purple ...
s, and several species of ducks.


Paths

Jells Park contains an extensive network of
shared use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...
s for cycling, walking, and running. The
Dandenong Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Dandenong Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Dandenong Creek through the outer eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Route The trail can be divided int ...
runs north—south through the park.
Scotchmans Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Scotchmans Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Scotchmans Creek through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from East Malvern railway station through to Jells Pa ...
also runs through the park from the west, connecting with Dandenong Creek Trail in the south east corner.
EastLink Trail The EastLink Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians in the outer eastern/southeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail gets its name from the north-south EastLink tollway, along which it follows for most of ...
skirts the southern edge of the park. A little further north of the park, the
Blind Creek Trail The Blind Creek Trail, in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria, is a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Blind Creek from the Dandenong Creek Trail in Wantirna South to the Ringw ...
comes in from the east and also terminates at the
Dandenong Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Dandenong Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Dandenong Creek through the outer eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Route The trail can be divided int ...
. The ''Conservation Trail'' follows the eastern side of the lake past billabongs and wetlands. The bird hide is accessible from this path. Most trails through the park are paved but some are firm gravel. Paths are generally well signposted and suitable for prams. Dogs are permitted on-lead in much of the park, except for the areas of remnant bushland where they are prohibited.


Facilities

The park is popular for picnics and barbecues, with playgrounds at Yabby Hill. In late 2018, the remaining wood-burning barbecues were removed in favour of the newer gas ones, leaving eight gas barbecues remaining. The park incorporates the following picnic areas: There is a visitor centre in the north west of the park which is run by Parks Victoria and incorporates a cafe and toilet block. Two ovals in the south of the park are frequently used for sporting activities and are open for public access at other times.


References


External links


Jells Park
at
Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia. Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The ''Parks Victoria Ac ...

Jells Park visitor guide
at Parks Victoria * {{Metropolitan parks of Victoria Parks in Melbourne 1976 establishments in Australia City of Monash