I went for a walk to Galatea Point

I took Miss K down to Galatea Point in Yarra Bend Park, just off Studley Park Road, a great little 20 minute walk you can drive to and be guaranteed a park (directions below). This is one of the beautiful views of the Yarra a great loop of which makes the Point feel like a promontory. Across the way is green lawn, and autumnal European trees (in the general vicinity of the Studley Park Boathouse). The combination of the bush and the park separated by the river is particularly pleasant, the best of both worlds, and I daydreamed of installing a kangaroo on the point, but have since confirmed my suspicion that kangaroos are excellent swimmers.

Along with nesting rainbow lorikeets, three eastern rosellas, and grey fantails, we saw, without even looking, one of the most splendid Australian birds, a flame robin, hopping around nonchalantly in front of us for as long as we cared to take in his scarlet beauty. My camera’s batteries had by then given out. Happily, I was able to borrow this photo from Julian Robinson of Flickr.
How to get there: One can only turn into the Yarra Boulevard from Studley Park Road while travelling away from the city, up the hill. This is how most people go to the Studley Park Boathouse. Having turned off, you can only go right, but if you do a U-turn and head back past where you entered, you come to a loop road which is gated off, much loved by cyclists. Veer right along it on foot after passing through the gate, and soon enough, you come to another gate announcing Galatea Point. Suddenly you are in the bush, though the din of the freeway is hard to ignore. One can also get there from Studley Park Road, walking along the river on the opposite bank from the one with the bike path on