Lilydale Lake Playground is a park that combines a playground and off-leash dog areas all in one. We haven’t discovered a park this good in a long time. Even though it’s a bit far, we still went to the Lilydale Lake Playground twice.
Lilydale Lake Playground reviews
Lilydale Lake itself isn’t huge, but the scenery is beautiful and it’s not too crowded. We saw plenty of people kayaking—the water is calm, so we’ll definitely bring our own kayak next time. The sunset is stunning; walking around the lake in the evening breeze feels amazing.
The park has BBQ facilities, shelters, toilets, and plenty of shade—perfect for spending the whole day with the family.
The playground is fully equipped: sandpit, climbing structures of different difficulty levels. If kids are playing in the water, make sure they don’t scratch their feet.
Kids can bring their bikes and ride around the lake, very open and relaxing. By the lake you can feed ducks, and we saw lots of dogs swimming, plus people launching small boats and paddling.
For us, apart from being a bit far, it’s basically perfect.
Perfect for running, cycling, and taking kids out. The loop around the lake is about 2.5 km—easy to complete in one go.
After visiting so many parks, our whole family agrees this is one of the most perfect lakeside parks near Melbourne—water play, sand play, playgrounds, dog walking, fishing, boating, kayaking, beach volleyball, BBQ, everything you could want.
With two or three off-leash dog areas—ideal for gatherings with families who have both kids and dogs, no one needs to compromise.
If you have a dog, definitely take it to the little river by the lake—it’s basically dog heaven. There’s a large off-leash area where, especially on weekends, lots of dogs run freely on the grass and swim in the water. Watching them is genuinely relaxing and joyful.
Right next to the car park is a big playground, plus space for biking and skateboarding. There’s also a splash fountain where kids can play in the water—remember to bring swimwear, towels, or a change of clothes so they can burn off energy all day. On weekends, there are food trucks selling ice cream, chips, and hot dogs.
Highly recommend coming here for a picnic or BBQ—plenty of grills and open space. The lake area is also a wetland wildlife reserve, so you’ll be surrounded by ducks and birds while picnicking. They’re surprisingly fearless and super cute.
From Melbourne CBD it’s about a 50-minute drive. You can easily spend a whole day here—walk up the hills or do a full lake loop, catch the sunset, then head back.
On weekends there are ice cream vans, hot dogs, chips and drinks trucks (a bit pricey). Just a few minutes’ drive away you’ll find fast food like KFC and Subway.
Lilydale Lake Park
Address: Lilydale Lake Splash Pad, 435 Swansea Road, Lilydale VIC 3140