The Fabric is our vibrant new community, located in Melbourne’s coveted Inner West.
Set within an established neighbourhood, locals and visitors alike will share in the same sense of discovery when they stumble across a newly opened spot to eat, or uncover a hidden gem that has been around for generations. Join us on our journey through the Inner West, as we share the go-to places and hotspots favoured by locals – All within close proximity to The Fabric.
In this edition, we have selected our favourite places to get active and outdoors in the Inner West, whether you’re looking for a scenic bike path, or tracking down the perfect spot for a picnic.
An Undiscovered Beauty: Newport Lakes Reserve
You’d never know when you’re enjoying the beauty and peaceful surrounds, but pre-1968 Newport Lakes Reserve was a bluestone quarry and rubbish tip. The 33 hectares of bushland would soon after be transformed into an urban oasis, part of an important conservation project and an ecological win for the west.
There is a botanical garden dedicated to conservation and research (predominantly American and European plants) located by Pavey’s Park, and a viewing deck at the Ampitheatre looks out onto the picturesque bushland and lakes. Newport Lakes Reserve also boasts plenty of electric barbecues, picnic spaces, a designated dog-walking park, play equipment, a nursery, two big lakes and a nature trail to help you appreciate it all.
The reserve is prime for wildlife-watching. Linda Cottrel, an artist local to the area, originally conceptualized the series of iconic mosaic designs that marks in bird trails throughout the reserve. If you take a stroll at dusk you can expect to find swans, Eurasian coots, blue fairy wrens, ring-tailed possums and Pacific black ducks. Keep your eyes open for some occasional frog-spotting too.
Newport Lakes Reserve is just around the corner from The Fabric (off Lakes Drive, Newport), about 13 minutes’ walk up Blackshaws Road. It’s a conveniently short 1.8km (6 or 20 minutes, depending on whether you cycle or walk) to Newport train station, should you wish to continue your adventure through the West.
Cycling in Inner West
Many years of community-led planting projects have helped the Maribyrnong River become a huge success story for Victorian conservation, and the best way to appreciate it is by bike. Start at the Footscray Community Arts Centre and ride north along the river towards Essendon, or go south towards the beach at Williamstown. It’s an easy ride past Scienceworks up to the Newport Lakes Reserve. If you connect up to the Federation Trail bike path, it will take you further west. A ‘bicycle super highway’ is planned, as part of the $5.5 billion West Gate Tunnel Project, which will allow cyclists to travel express to the CBD, from Shepherds Bridge over Footscray Road.
Federation Trail Bike Path
Pump your tyres and tighten your chain before you take off, because the Federation Trail bike path weaves all the way through the west. Running 24 kilometres from Brooklyn to Werribee, the path connects the Hobson’s Bay Coastal trail–accessible to a conservation reserve (off Primula Avenue at D.N. Duane Reserve) with native plants in garden beds–to the Werribee River Trail, following the heritage-listed Main Outfall Sewer (MOS). This sewer is no longer in use but is a monumental exemplar of great engineering for Melbourne.
It should take between one to two hours to cycle the length of the Federation Trail bike path, it starts at Millers Road, Brooklyn. There are plenty of exciting upgrades to check out too, including the Greening the Pipeline project, which is transforming the entire length of the 40-metre wide MOS into a linear park.
Sights to see when cycling West
Yarraville Gardens precinct is a large public park on the corner of Hyde Street and Somerville Road. It has a playground, picnic area with barbecues, a formal garden, sports pavilion and amphitheatre/outdoor stage. Yarraville Gardens is located 5.3km, or 17 minutes on bike from The Fabric.
If you’re heading towards Essendon, be sure to visit Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West in Footscray, established in 1984. This eco-museum is the first of its kind in Australia. It has limited open hours of 10am-2pm on Tuesday, but the Museum encourages bookings for outside-hours research assistance, talks and tours. The Living Museum of the West is accessible along the Maribyrnong River Trail, 9.7km or 32 minutes on bike from The Fabric.
For Every Body: Bayfit Leisure Centre
A fitness centre for every body. Bayfit Leisure, on the corner of Mason and Mills streets, is a family-friendly place in every sense of the word: there’s a cafe, school holiday games and activities, they host kids’ birthday parties, as well as plenty of dedicated classes for brand new swimmers in the 10-lane, 25m lap pool or the dedicated ‘learn-to-swim’ pool. In the gym you can sign up for group classes using the online booking system, make a plan with a personal trainer or just go your own way. But the pools are the jewel in the crown: there are three of them, as well as a spa, steam room and dedicated hydrotherapy pool. The venue is also accessible and very friendly for use by those with impaired or reduced mobility, with ramp access and facilities at ground floor, in-pool hip platforms and aquatic wheelchairs.
Bayfit Leisure Centre is located at 257 Mason Street, Altona North, 1.5km distance–a 5-minute ride or an 18-minute stroll–from The Fabric. You can get there via a 10-minute bus ride if you take the 412 or the 432 up Blackshaws Road.