In This Article
parkrun Melbourne (that’s right, no capital letter required) has seen rapid growth with a number of new events popping up in the last year or two.
FYI, “parkrun” is a worldwide initiative that started in the UK, aiming to provide a free weekly event for all levels of runner.
It includes hundreds of offerings in the parkrun Australia collection.
If you’re looking for a “parkrun near me”, here’s every Melbourne and Geelong parkrun in the parkrun Australia family, with start times and course descriptions.
Courses get tweaked occasionally so if our description doesn’t match what you find at the event, shoot us a message via Facebook and we’ll update the event info.
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Jump to your region
Jump to our awards for best locations
parkrun Melbourne – South East
(Planning on visiting Sydney and want to squeeze a parkrun in? Here’s our parkrun Sydney events.)
parkrun Melbourne – Awards for best locations
Fastest course – Maribyrnong parkrun
Most adventurous – Brimbank parkrun
Most picturesque – Eastern Gardens parkrun
parkrun Melbourne – East
Westerfolds parkrun (8am start) – one 5k loop on sealed paths without any road crossings, although it has a few sharp turns.
Gardiners Creek parkrun (8am start) – a flat course on gravel paths, it’s got a couple of out and back sections.
Karkarook parkrun (8am start) – a scenic two lap curse around Karkarook Lake.
Mullum Mullum parkrun (8am start) – adventurous course with some twists and turns, it offers a variety of running surfaces.
Jells parkrun (8am start) – this two lap course offers some hills and bridges in a scenic route passing by Wildfire Lake.
Fairpark Reserve (8am start) – one of the newest parkruns in Melbourne, this flat out and back course is fairly fast for those chasing a PB.
Lillydale Lake (8am start) – a scenic two lap course around Lillydale Lake, it’s on a flat gravel surface.
Birdsland Reserve (8am start) – on a gravel path, this course has out and back sections with loops of the lake in between.
parkrun Melbourne – South East
Dandenong parkrun (8am start) – this parkrun follows an out and back course on concrete paths.
Frog Hollow parkrun (8am start) – a flat course with an out and back section, this route uses walking paths of different surfaces (boardwalk, etc.)
KM Reddy Reserve parkrun (8am start) – one of the smallest parkruns in Melbourne, this out and back course runs along the edge of bushland on sealed and trail surfaces.
Chelsea Bicentennial parkrun (8am start) – this fast, flat out and back course is on hard bike paths, perfect for a parkrun PB.
Wilson Botanic parkrun (8am start) – this two lap course has it all: gravel, boardwalk and asphalt paths with some hills.
Berwick Springs parkrun (8am start) – not to be confused with Berwick Waters parkrun, this course follows two laps around Berwick Springs park.
Berwick Waters parkrun (8am start) – just over 2km from Berwick Springs parkrun, this fast flat course offers two laps of the lake on concrete paths.
Marriot Waters parkrun (8am start) – a simple two lap course around Marriot Waters reserve on the walk/bike path.
Cascades on Clyde Wetlands parkrun (8am start) – on concrete paths and boardwalk, this course has three out and back sections branching off from a central lap of the wetlands.
Pakenham parkrun (8am start) – a fast flat out and back course on gravel and hard paths.
parkrun Melbourne – Central
Maribyrnong parkrun (8am start) – super fast out and back course along a bike path next to Maribyrnong River, the course records are held by some of Australia’s best known runners (including the fastest Australian male time.)
Parkville parkrun (8am start) – a flat course on gravel and hard paths around Princes Park and Carlton’s home ground.
Studley parkrun (8am start) – a winding course along the Yarra River with plenty of bushland and scenery along the flat course.
Newport Lakes parkrun (8am start) – the course page describes it as “a technical course with uneven terrain, some sharp hills and a lot of turns” and they’re not wrong – very fun, adventurous course.
Albert Melbourne parkrun (8am start) – launching from next to South Melbourne Soccer Ground, this very fast course follows the path around Albert Park Lake with the course records held by some of Australia’s best distance runners.
Williamstown Breakwater parkrun – this event is listed on the parkrun map but the event page has been removed. If anyone has an update on the future of this event, message us via our Facebook page.
Altona Beach parkrun (8am start) – a challenging out and back course along foreshore trails, bike paths and with a few stairs.
parkrun Melbourne – North
Warringal Parklands parkrun (8am start) – a very picturesque course through some of Melbourne’s oldest parklands.
Coburg parkrun (8am start) – a flat winding course along Merri Creek trail, it’s scenic and can offer fast times despite the occasional turns.
Darebin parkrun (8am start) – not the fastest course due to its gentle rolling hills but it’s a nice change if you’re looking for a challenge.
Brimbank parkrun (8am start) – if you’re after an adventure, this course has it all – dirt trails, climbs, bridges and lots of turns. Pay attention to the course marshals!
Lalor parkrun (8am start) – one of the smallest parkruns in Melbourne, this course parallels the Hume Freeway.
Diamond Creek parkrun (8am start) – this course follows Diamond Creek Trail through parklands for a fairly flat run.
Aurora parkrun (8am start) – another small parkrun by attendance, this flat four lap course has some sharp turns.
Mernda parkrun (8am start) – this two lap course runs over some boardwalks and gravel paths.
Highlands parkrun (8am start) – a three lap course on mixed surfaces (boardwalk, gravel and concrete), it’s generally flat with just one hill.
Sunbury parkrun (8am start) – an out and back course on concrete and gravel paths, it has a few sharp turns along the way.
parkrun Melbourne – West
Point Cook parkrun (8am start) – an out and back course on concrete paths with a small section of gravel and a slightly uphill finish.
Wyndham Vale parkrun (8am start) – an interesting out and back course that travels through parklands and along Werribee River.
Toolern Creek parkrun (8am start) – this course roughly follows Toolern Creek on an out and back course with slightly gradients in some sections.
Peppertree parkrun (8am start) – this two lap route heads along Werribee River for a flat course, it’s quick-ish despite the three turn around points.
parkrun – Geelong region
Eastern Gardens parkrun (8am start) – two laps of a gravel path through beautiful parklands with a stunning view of the bay. Not a bad way to start the weekend!
Balyang Sanctuary parkrun (8am start) – a nice flat out and back course that follows the Barwon River, this is one of the fastest parkruns in Victoria.
Portarlington parkrun (8am start) – running along the edge of Port Phillip Bay, this course is flat and fast if it’s a calm day…tough going with strong winds though.
Ocean Grove parkrun (8am start) – this two lap out and back course follows the Barwon River and offers nice views, although it can be tough going with a Southerly wind.
Torquay parkrun (8am start) – a flat course on gravel paths that runs through the vegetation behind Torquay Beach. Beautiful views but hard work in high winds.
Bannockburn Bush parkrun (8am start) – a smaller parkrun through wooded bushlands.
You Yangs parkrun (8am start) – a scenic run through the bush of the You Yangs, this single lap course has the smallest crowd of any parkrun in the Melbourne/Geelong region.