Abbotsford to Royal Botanic Gardens via Main Yarra Trail

This is the 11.6 kilometre riverside walk from Abbotsford down the Main Yarra Trail to the Royal Botanic Gardens, and the fact worth knowing before you set out is that dogs are allowed at both ends. Leashed dogs may enter Melbourne Gardens during normal opening hours, which is not what most walkers assume about a botanic garden.

The walk. The route is 11.6 kilometres and about two and a half to three hours one way, graded easy. It is flat and mostly sealed, tracing the river past Abbotsford Convent, Dights Falls, the Yarra Bend bushland and the Richmond boathouses before it reaches Alexandra Gardens. Parks Victoria manages the trail itself. Most people walk it one way and catch a train or tram back rather than doubling the distance.

The rules. On lead along the Main Yarra Trail, which is a shared path carrying a heavy volume of commuter cyclists. At the far end, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria regulations allow dogs and other pets in Melbourne Gardens during normal opening hours provided they are restrained by a lead, and require you to pick up and remove any mess. Pets are not allowed at ticketed events such as Lightscape, where only trained service animals may enter, and the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden is closed to dogs.

Water. The Yarra is beside you for most of the walk, but bank access is steep and water quality after heavy rain is poor. Carry water rather than relying on the river. There are bubblers and toilets at Studley Park Boathouse and in Alexandra Gardens near the southern end.

Getting there. Start at Trenerry Crescent or the Gipps Street bridge in Abbotsford. Collingwood and Victoria Park stations are both a ten to fifteen minute walk from the trail, and the 109 tram stops at North Richmond. From the Gardens end, South Yarra and Flinders Street put you back on the network easily.

Nearby with the dogs. Yarra Bend Park covers the off lead sections in detail, Victoria Park Fenced Dog Off Leash Area is a fenced option near the start, and The Farm Cafe at Collingwood Children's Farm is the obvious first coffee stop.

When to go. Weekday mornings, or before ten on a weekend, when the cycling traffic thins out. Sections near Dights Falls hold mud and can flood after sustained rain. Good for big runners with a full day in them.

Sources

• Yarra Bend Park dog walking fact sheet - Parks Victoria · www.parks.vic.gov.au
• Act and Regulations - Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria · www.rbg.vic.gov.au
• Regulations - Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne · www.rbg.vic.gov.au

Compiled from public sources and verified listings. Always confirm current rules with the venue or council before you travel.