Edinburgh Gardens

There are a lot of old, beautiful trees to picnic, drink and then nap under in this historic old park and that in itself makes it a stand out to me.
It’s in a great spot and always plays host to a random assortment of events (Irish Festival or Fitness for the over 80s!)
The Mr Burger truck is often parked here as well which is always a plus.
Downsides? The bathrooms are revolting (I wish parks in Australia were more like European parks where they have a permanent attendant to make sure it’s clean) and I think there needs to be a lot more lighting at night as well as barbecue areas.

It’s not often that I would review a park, but the infamous Edinburgh Gardens took me by surprise.
First off, the place is enormous. It really doesn’t matter how many people come out to play, you will always find a spot to park yourselves and find somewhere to enjoy. Trust me, I came on a night (NYE *cough* illegal dance party *cough*) where about 20,000 people showed up and we still carved out a little place to lay our blankets and pizza.
Speaking of pizza… the close vicinity to Smith St and North-​side locales such as McCoppins Bottle Shop and Shawcross Pizza makes it a very appealing option to bring an out of the box picnic with mates.
The aforementioned NYE event is a fair warning however. It seems that public holidays draws massive crowds that aren’t unprecedented, but difficult to control. So what might seem light a delightful family-​friendly venue one night might turn out to be more like a rave party the next.
All-​in-​all, a great spot to come on a regular evening for a BYO meal and chat with friends… but maybe skip the major events.

This is a pretty park that has everything you need and more!
A playground, skate bowl and basketball court for the kids (big and small) to play in. Lots of park benches and beautifully grassed shaded areas for sitting, lying and relaxing. Dog and bike friendly areas. Paths-​a-​plenty that criss-​cross the park for jogging, cycling, scootering or roller-​blading.
Lots of space for picnics, parties and gatherings. An oval with a cricket pitch for family test matches. And as an added bonus, there is often a Mr Burger truck parked nearby for a burger picnic lunch or dinner followed up by and icecream from the cycling icecream man!
Check it our if its your local — or make an outing of it even if it isn’t!

Relaxed atmosphere but gets a bit crazy on weekends when the sun is out with quite a lot of hippies juggling balls… perfect location tough…

Golly gosh, this is a fine park now isn’t it? I recently came here for a friendly gathering and was astounded at how many locals were out and about, gathered under the trees, playing frisbee and just generally frolicking about. There were absolutely hundreds of people here, but as it’s a large park there’s plenty of space to share.
The facilities are good — playgrounds for kids, lots of trees, park benches and decent public toilets. Definitely needs to go to the top of your list for cool places to hang out during the summer months.

Great park with all the facilities.

I’m not really a sit in the park type of person. I do love being outdoors and doing outdoorsy stuff, but that means going for a walk, hike, or climb. But just sitting around doing nothing in a park really isn’t my thing.
However, if I was going to, I’d probably do it at Edinburgh Gardens. Here’s why:
* One of few parks that still allows bike riding through it (damn you Carlton Gardens and your no riding!)
* Located near me and all my friends — one of my friends lives close enough that I can utilise his toilet instead of the public one, but the toilets aren’t too bad — what you’d expect from a public park
* Large considering its proximity to the CBD and has plenty of grass to sit on
* Interesting people
* Bottleshops nearby to top up your drinking session
And when you finally get bored of sitting around outside, there are decent bars nearby. I’d go to LongPlay or Deco Bar.

It’s here, it’s queer (at night) and it’s a really nice place for a picnic.
The Edinburgh Gardens: where hipsters rest their weary bike legs on hot summer days. Where dogs and jocks go running. Where fat dogs go rolling and where Ping-​Pong champions are made, not born.
Childbirth aside, these gardens are huge by inner city standards. There’s a fantastic gazebo to grab some shelter if the weather breaks, but you’ll probably have to get in there first, or last, if you’re not good with crowds and find a panic attack coming on, because if you jump ship over the edge you might snap an ankle.
They have some toilets near the basketball courts and Ping-​Pong table but it’s best if you bring your own toilet paper as I’ve never seen a square of the stuff there. Another amusing thing is watching the lines of girls cuing for the loo during summer days — that’s how packed this place gets during the first few bright days of summer. Sorry, it’s not the girls that are funny, it’s the boys, who, if playing on the table tennis table, suddenly become very serious about playing table-​tennis. You just can’t look masculine when you’re holding miniscule bats burt boy do they try.
There’s a good playground and oval, some barbecues and it’s right next to the Fitzroy Bowls Club so you can cheer on your gran and watch her take the championship trophy for the third time. Your gran, she can’t be beat.

Melbourne is very lucky to be blessed with so much parkland. During the summer months, there is nothing better to do than head to your nearest park, take in some rays and play some fun games. And if you live in the suburbs of Carlton, Fitzroy or Fitzroy North, then Edinburgh Gardens is as good a spot as any.
From Vanessa and Sam’s reviews it is clear to see that there is a bit of a divide between the good, the bad and the ugly of the park. And both have very valid points. There is always a festive mood and plenty going on which makes for a food place to hang out. There are also a broad range of groups that frequent the park. In my experience, the people that Sam talks about makes for only a small subset of your typical park goer. And most people tidy up after themselves.
The park is so massive that you can go and find a quiet spot if you so wish. If you wanna get involved, then you can do that too.
There is so much free fun to be had in such a great park.

On the next warm, sunny day, grab your friends, pack a blanket and whatever food and drink tickles your tastebuds and plan to spend the entire day lazing about, laughing and lapping up the sunshine.
You won’t be the only ones doing it. Folk from surrounding neighbourhoods flock to Edinburgh Gardens on glorious days, some with guitars, some with little stereos, and almost everyone with a bit of beer. It makes for quite a festive atmosphere and it is truly a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors in the middle of built-​up surburbia.
The tall, leafy trees will provide all the shade you need once you’ve topped up your tan, and for those who can’t get enough solar energy, there are huge expanses of grass just waiting for you to plant yourself on and settle in for a session of sun worship.
No worries if you run out of snacks or find yourself with an unquenchable thirst. Ed Gardens are just steps away from Brunswick St and St Georges Road, where you are certain to find exactly what you crave.

I expected this fuck hole of a joint to have been reviewed incessantly by the filthy hipsters that make Edinburgh Gardens such a fuck hole. Great park: yes. Beautiful trees: tick. Super tennis courts: yup. Awesome skate bowl: uh huh. Killer oval: definitely. Large dog-​friendly space: of course. Excellent playground facilities for the kids: totally. You’d think this park has it all but wait a second…
This place is a disgrace through the type of person that frequents it. I don’t know where these shit heads come from but man if you: feel the need to pollute a parkland with your shit music; feel the need to pollute other patrons’ eyes with Thai fisherman pants; feel the need to clutter a parkland with your ridiculous throw-​back pagan games like tight-​rope walking, fire pois, bongo drums or hackey sack; feel the need to litter the surrounds with discarded beer bottles as you piss against a tree in broad daylight; if you do any of these things, please spend your summer days at Edinburgh Gardens, as you have been, so the rest of us can relax somewhere else. Thank you.