Fawkner Park

Fawkner Park stretches across Commercial Road in South Yarra, a grand and much-loved inner-city park just south of the Melbourne CBD. With its sweeping lawns and majestic avenues of mature elms, it's one of the area's most cherished green spaces — a giant communal backyard for the surrounding inner suburbs.

The park is the kind of place locals use for everything: jogging, picnics, a kick of the footy, weekend sport on its ovals, or simply relaxing under the trees on a sunny day. Its elegant, tree-lined paths and generous open space make it a serene escape close to the bustle of South Yarra and Prahran.

With a 4.7 rating from more than 3,200 reviews, it's a firm favourite. The park is free and open year-round, but facilities, sports areas and any events vary, and it gets busy on warm weekends, so it's worth checking the surrounds before a special trip — though for a casual run, picnic or wander beneath the elms, you can generally just turn up and enjoy one of the inner city's loveliest parks.