Our shared paths and trails are busier than ever right now, so we all need to work together to ensure these spaces are safe for all users.

These paths and trails are for cycling, running and walking. With all these different speeds of travel it’s important for everyone to do their part to share the path safely. You can help by:

• Keeping to the left of the path unless you need to go around others on the path.
• If you need to stop, remembering to step off the path so you don’t block others.
• During the winter months, wear bright visible clothing so others can see you if you’re using the paths at dusk and at night.

Here’s some further tips to help you stay safe while enjoying our paths and trails:

Pedestrians

• Stay alert for bike riders and avoid becoming distracted by your phone.
• If you are listening to music, make sure you can still hear others, as bike riders may use a bell or their voice to warn when overtaking.
• If you’re walking your dog, keep them on a leash to the left of you so they don’t obstruct other path users.
• If you’re walking with children, encourage them to watch for other users and keep to the left.

Bike Riders

• Bike riders must give way to all pedestrians on shared paths. Pedestrians include people using wheelchairs, mobility scooters and wheeled recreational devices.
• Make sure to warn others as you approach; use your bell or your voice to let them know you’re approaching.
• Slow down as you pass others and do not pass too closely to walkers. If it’s not safe to overtake, you need to slow down or stop until it is safe.
• Make sure your lights are turned on and working if you’re riding at night.

If you follow these tips our paths and trails will continue to be safe and enjoyable exercise spaces for everyone, and will help ensure that these courteous gestures continue long after the current restrictions end.

Manningham residents and visitors now have a 42 kilometre circuit of inter-connected trails to explore, with the completion of the final section of the Mullum Mullum Trail. 

The Mullum Mullum Trail in Donvale and Park Orchards will be officially opened on Sunday 16 September, with a community walk or ride and a free community barbecue. 

Manningham Mayor Cr Andrew Conlon said with the completion of the Mullum Mullum Trail, Manningham now provided more opportunities for people to get off the beaten track. 

“The trail completes the highly anticipated loop giving people an opportunity to get outdoors, benefiting their overall health and wellbeing,” he said. 

“The final section of the trail completes the linking of the Koonung Trail and the Main Yarra Trail, providing walkers and riders 42kms of continuous off-road circuit in Manningham. 

The newly completed section includes four major bridge structures and numerous boardwalks. 

Construction of the Mullum Mullum Trail was completed over 25 years in seven separate sections. 

With significant vegetation along the creek valley and cultural heritage value, many environmental considerations were taken. This includes the completion of cultural heritage management plans for five sections.

The Trail includes nine bridges and long sections of boardwalk, giving users the opportunity get active, bird watch and spot wildlife. 

The community is invited to celebrate the official opening and take part in a 1.3km scenic community walk and ride, finishing with a free barbecue.

Mullum Mullum Trail Opening
When: Sunday 16 September
Time: 11.00am (arrive at 10.45am)
Where: 320 Park Road, Park Orchards
Cost: Free 

Manningham Council has created a series of colourful new animal stencil artworks to mark three of Manningham’s major trails, including the Ruffey Trail and Green Gully Trail in Templestowe, and the Mullum Mullum Trail in Donvale.

The stencil artworks have been used at the entry points of each trail to act as a marker for walkers and cyclists and each depict animals that can be found in the local area.

Animals featured along the trails include:

• Ruffey Trail – a longneck turtle, which can be found in Ruffey Lake
• Green Gully Trail – a blue wren, which is often seen along this stretch of trail
• Mullum Mullum Trail – a platypus, which can be found in the Mullum Mulum Creek.

Manningham Mayor Cr Jennifer Yang said the artworks are beautiful and bright, and an interesting new feature for the community to enjoy along each of the trails.

“The artworks are a great new feature and addition to three of our most popular walking and cycling trails in Manningham.

“I encourage all of our residents to get out and about and enjoy the fantastic array of walking and bike trails we have on offer in Manningham.”

For more information on shared walking and bike trails in Manningham, visit www.manningham.vic.gov.au/bike-trails or call our Landscape and Leisure Team on 9840 9432.

Mullum Mullum Trail to be complete in July 2018.

The final one kilometre section of the Mullum Mullum Trail, between Park Road and Heads Road, is in progress and is now anticipated to be completed in July 2018.

Approximately 700 metres of this section has been completed so far, including three of the four major bridge structures along the trail.

Once completed the Mullum Mullum Trail will link the Koonung Trail and the Main Yarra Trail, enabling a 42 kilometre off-road bicycle and walking circuit around Manningham.

The community is invited to celebrate the official opening on Sunday 16 September 2018. More details to follow that will include opportunities to ride or walk different sections of the 42 kilometre trail circuit around Manningham’s boundary.

With many scenic walking trails available on our doorsteps, residents are invited to share their favourites as part of Manningham’s Top 5 series. 

Manningham Mayor Cr Andrew Conlon said Manningham has an extensive network of beautiful walking trails. 

“We’re very lucky to have a range of self-guided walking trails that showcase our wealth of natural, historic, cultural and environmental assets,” he said. 

“Manningham offers some of the most beautiful trails, right on our doorstep.” 

One of Council’s key objectives is fostering healthy communities and walking trails offer many benefits.  

“They make our communities more liveable and offer places to get out and about, improving fitness and mental health,” Cr Conlon said. 

Earlier in the year, the community chose Ruffey Lake Park in Victoria Street, Doncaster East as their favourite playspace and voted for their favourite dog parks. 

Manningham’s Top 5 series showcases our hidden gems and allows locals to discover the delights in their own backyards. 

The poll for the Top 5 Walking Trails will be available on Council’s website from Monday 26 March. 
 

Manningham has some fantastic parks and trails for walking or cycling. Daylight savings means even more time to get out and explore so make the most of the extra daylight.

Our major trails, the Mullum Mullum, Main Yarra, Koonung and EastLink Trails all connect and form a 42 kilometre off-road circuit around the municipality.

Find out which parks and trails are on offer in your area or pick up a few of our 28 walks brochures available from local libraries and community centres or the foyer at the Manningham Civic Centre.

If you have a favourite park or trail, share it with us on social media using #exploremanningham

Manningham Council has unveiled the Wurundjeri Stories Interpretive Signage Trail at Pound Bend in Warrandyte.

The trail features seven interpretive signs which share the Wurundjeri traditional life, culture and historical events associated with the sacred Aboriginal heritage site.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Jim Grivokostopoulos said the project was a joint community effort and signified reconciliation in action.

“The trail represents a year of Manningham Council working side by side with Wurundjeri Tribe Elders, Parks Victoria, Manningham Reconciliation Incorporated and local historians Jim Poulter and Mick Woiwod, along with ongoing advice from the Office of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria.”

Each sign includes the head of Bunjil (the eagle hawk that is regarded as the spirit creator of the Kulin nations), designed by Wurundjeri artist and archaeologist, Mandy Nicholson, and also features a section called ‘Bunjil’s Challenge’ which offers interactive activities for children as they follow the trail.

“I’d encourage every school in Manningham to visit the Wurundjeri Stories Interpretive Signage Trail to learn more about our Indigenous history and culture alongside Wurundjeri Cultural Educators,” Cr Grivokostopoulos said.

The project was funded by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and was project managed by Manningham Council’s Cultural Services Unit.

Planning and design for the construction of an 82 metre mulched, off road trail along the northern side of Gold Memorial Road has been completed and the project is out for tender.

The trail opposite properties at 20 and 24 Gold Memorial Road, will provide improved safety for both pedestrians and horse riders on the bend.

Improvements also include using asphalt instead of concrete for the separator kerb at the edge of the road and constructing the trail of a hard pack mulch material instead of asphalt.

The works have been designed to reduce the overall size of the construction area through the construction of a retaining wall and post and wire fence at the trail edge, to create as little disturbance as possible to the natural environment adjacent to Andersons Creek.

Once the contract has been awarded, Council will inform affected residents about the proposed timing and schedule for construction works to be completed.

Construction is anticipated to take approximately four weeks, subject to weather conditions and every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience to local residents.

For project information, please call Daniel Kelabora, Council Project Engineer on 9846 0564.

Harold Link is a Manningham Council owned drainage and sewerage reserve located between Millicent and Alfreda avenues in Bulleen.

After consultation with local residents around the use of Harold Link, key improvement areas were identified in drainage, access, landscaping and safety. With the addition of identified site constraints, these have been factored into the final design and Council would like to thank the residents for their input on this important local project.

Delivery of the Harold Link Development Plan has now commenced, with construction of an improved shared access path and new landscaping occurring in two phases.

The improved access path will:

• better connect pedestrians and cyclists to Harold Reserve and the Koonung Trail network,
• provide new landscaping with native and exotic trees, garden beds and grassed areas, and
• drainage improvements including the modification and installation of new drainage pits.

View the full plan for the 

Recognised as one of the state’s healthiest municipalities, Manningham Council is seeking expressions of interest from organisations and community leaders to join its Healthy City Working Groups. 

Manningham Mayor Cr Andrew Conlon said Manningham was establishing three working groups and seeking people with a passion for health and wellbeing to participate. 

“The working groups form part of Council’s broader wellbeing focus and will cover topics such as gender equity, youth mental wellbeing and resilience, and community connectedness,” he said. 

“These working groups will support us in developing and delivering initiatives in these areas.”

Nominations are sought from people who live, work or study in Manningham and are interested in the ongoing development of health and wellbeing initiatives within the community. 

Thirteen positions are available in each working group with a mix of individual and not-for-profit organisations. 

Council encourages a diverse representation of the community including age, gender, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. 

Expression of interest is open now until Friday 30 March.   
 

While out getting your daily exercise, you may have spotted a green sign with white text in one of our beautiful parks or along a walking trail.

These are Emergency Markers and can be your gateway to help in an emergency as they save our emergency responders time trying to locate you.

Each marker has a unique code that is linked to the Emergency Services Telecommunications authority (ESTA) system. When you call 000, knowing the location of your nearest marker can help ESTA quickly determine your GPS coordinates as well as nearest road access point and other navigational data to help emergency responders.

We recently conducted a full audit of our Emergency Markers to identify any damaged and missing markers within our parks and along our walking tracks. These have all now been replaced so emergency services can respond quickly where they are needed.

If you spot a damaged or illegible marker, please contact us to report this issue.

Manningham Council recognises the benefits of encouraging cycling as a sustainable mode of transport that is integral to improving the health of the community, minimising traffic congestion and achieving environmental benefits.

The Manningham Bicycle Strategy 2013 outlines bicycle routes and appropriate infrastructure to encourage more people to cycle in and around activity centres, reserves and other community hubs.

As part of the Strategy, bicycle symbols and complementary signage are being rolled out on some local streets to highlight to passing motorists that cyclists are in the area.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Paul McLeish said streets chosen for the preferred cycling routes have low traffic volumes and a speed limit of 50 kilometres or less.

“Bicycle symbols have been placed in the centre of some roads to ensure they are visible to both motorists and cyclists, and they are not obstructed by parked cars.”

“The symbols do not designate bicycle lanes or change existing parking arrangements. Residents are also reminded that the Victorian Road Rules require cyclists to ride to the left of the road, where possible,” he said.

Council is committed to encouraging mode shift and reducing resident’s reliance on private vehicles, with Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicating Manningham has one of the highest car ownership rates in metropolitan Melbourne.  

For more information about the bicycle strategy and associated works, visit the Your Say Manningham website.

We are working with the Warrandyte Community Market Committee and other community groups to undertake tree protection works along the Yarra River Crown Land Reserve in Warrandyte.

Council commissioned an arborist’s report, which identified and prioritised trees that showed signs of stress due to vehicle and foot traffic at the monthly market. To protect these trees and ensure their longevity, logs and boulders will be placed around their root zones in November 2014 to act as natural barriers.

These works will improve the environmental amenity of the area, as well as reduce the market footprint and number of stalls. However, they will not significantly impact the Warrandyte Festival.  

For more information, call Nancy Stokes on 9840 9138 (Monday and Wednesday).

We love our pooches in Manningham. You've told us which dog friendly parks get your dog's wag of approval and here are your top 5 revealed.

Get out and about and test out one of the top 5 on your next walk.

5. Finns Reserve

Perfect for dogs who love a long walk. 

Duncan Street, Lower Templestowe

The surrounding bushland trails of Finns Reserve will let you and your dog be one with nature and keep away from the hustle and bustle of the streets.

In open spaces near Wombat Bend enjoy a game of fetch or tug of war. Don't forget that you will need to keep a distance of 15 metres from the playground.

Visit Finns Reserve - Wombat Bend.

4. Banksia Park

Perfect for your morning walkies

3 Templestowe Road,  Bulleen

Located near the Yarra River and managed by Parks Victoria, the off leash area at Banksia Park gives you stunning views while both you and your pooch stretch your legs.

If your furry friend wants to run off lead, the Cherry Blossom Loop of Banksia Park is fenced so you can easily keep your eye on dogs who may like to wander. 

You can also pop a leash on your pet and take a walk around the rest of Banksia Park. Bring a rug and a bite to eat and enjoy the picnic perfect park.

Visit Banksia Park.

3. Aranga Reserve

The perfect place for your dog to show off to their doggy friends.

Eastway Avenue, Donvale

This is a great place for you to train your furry companion, for socialisation or agility training.

Aranga Reserve is Manningham's dog activity hub. The fully fenced dog activity centre will help keep your dog safe while they socialise with the other dogs.

Energetic pups can jump, crawl and climb using the range of agility equipment on offer at Aranga Reserve

Why not make it a family outing, and bring a picnic to eat at the nearby picnic tables and let your children have fun on the playground.

Visit Aranga Reserve.

2. Warrandyte River Reserve 

Yarra Street, Warrandyte

Head to Warrandyte for your next dogs' day out and let them take in the sights and smells that beautiful Warrandyte has to offer.

Sit by the tranquil and picturesque Yarra River and simply watch the world go by. Or explore the walking trail with your canine companion, enjoying the natural bush area.

Finish your day with a treat at one of the many local cafes - a great day out for humans and dogs.

Visit Warrandyte River Reserve.

1. Ruffey Lake Park 

Enough space for your dogs to roam to their heart's desire - it’s the park that has it all

There are plenty of walking tracks throughout the park or if running wildly through the grass is your dog's thing, then Ruffey Lake Park is all their doggy dreams come true.

If all that running has made you and your pooch thirsty, then refresh at one of the pet friendly drinking fountains.

With plenty of playgrounds, barbecues, picnic tables and toilets, you can make it a full day outing with the whole family.

To protect vegetation in the park, there are some areas that are fenced, so please remember to keep your dog out of these areas. Plan your next trip to Ruffey Lake Park with your dog.

Visit Ruffey Lake Park. 

Manningham has a number of dog-friendly open spaces and invites the community to nominate their favourite. 

As part of its Top 5 Manningham series, launched earlier in the year, Council will be opening a poll for residents and their pooches to vote for their favourite dog park. 

Manningham Mayor Cr Andrew Conlon said Manningham had a lot of fantastic on and off-leash dog parks for residents and their four-legged friends that encourage everyone to get out and about.    

“One of the key themes in Council’s four-year plan is fostering healthy communities,” he said. 

“Dog parks provide a safe place for pets and their owners to gather for both exercising and socialising.” 

The poll is available on Council’s website and is open to everyone until 5.00pm, Monday 5 March, with results revealed shortly after.    

Earlier in the year, the community nominated Ruffey Lake Park in Victoria Street Doncaster East as the top playspace.

Its plentiful play equipment, picturesque scenery and safe walking tracks were some of the many reasons it was voted in at the top spot.    

Wombat Bend in Lower Templestowe, Currawong Bush Park in Doncaster East, Federation Playground at Warrandyte River Reserve and Manna Gum Playground in Doncaster East rounded up the top five play spaces in Manningham. 

Photograph and interview opportunities are available.