Kirkdale Park Dog Off Leash Area

31 Kirkdale Street, Brunswick East VIC, 3057


A grassy area, about 120, square, dotted with some trees which is located beside the Merri Creek Trail. In the south east corner is a playground, shelter with tables, bin, water tap with bowl and a BBQ, in the north west area is another shelter with tables, BBQ, bin and water tap with bowl and on the western side is a basketball court and toilets.

There are very steep banks with thick bush leading down to the Merri Creek. This area used to be a bluestone quarry. Some historical information from a panel is:

Below your feet is one of Melbourne's bluestone quarries. Started in the early 1860s by Alexander Wales, the quarry was worked for nearly 100 years.

As the quarry hole got deeper, simple timber cranes - such as the restored example now used to lift the litter trap at the end of Victoria Street - were replaced with an aerial ropeway soaring from the winch tower near the creek to another tower close to the end of Kirkdale Street.

Skips filled with big chunks, of bluestone were hauled straight up and across the quarry to the crushing plant.

Out of Brunswick's many quarries came bluestone for buildings, cobble for laneways, and crushed stone for roads and tramways.

At a depth of 51.8 metres (170 feet), the quarry reached the end of its useful life. Back into the hole went the rubble of demolished Melbourne buildings, courtesy of Whelan the Wrecker, a long established Brunswick company.

There is another dog off leash park 350m south along the Merri Creek Trail (Sumner Park) and Phillips Reserve is immediately north of Kirkdale Park.