Grants Picnic Ground

Grants Picnic Ground is a picnic and walking hub in the Sherbrooke section of Dandenong Ranges National Park, on Monbulk Road near Kallista. Visitors come for forest walks, picnic facilities and the chance to watch birds in their natural surroundings.

The former bird-feeding attraction ended in February 2020. A visit today centres on the forest rather than buying a feeding token, and the cafe building is currently closed while a future operator is arranged.

Picnicking at Grants

Bring lunch for the picnic areas, with tables, barbecues and shelters providing a base before or after a walk. An accessible table and barbecue are available near the middle car park, while other tables have different seating arrangements. Choose a site that suits your group rather than assuming every table provides the same access.

Pack drinking water and food for the day. A mobile coffee van is currently listed as operating Tuesday to Saturday, but it is sensible to bring your own essentials, especially outside those days. The cafe’s temporary closure should not be confused with closure of the entire picnic ground.

Choosing a Sherbrooke Forest Walk

Hardy Gully Nature Walk

The roughly 700m Hardy Gully loop provides a shorter forest outing from Grants. Allow time to look at the fern-filled environment and take care on natural surfaces after rain. It is a useful option when a longer walk would use too much of the day.

Margaret Lester Forest Walk

This short forest walk was developed to provide an accessible experience, but its surface and infrastructure no longer meet an all-abilities standard. Uneven ground and drainage problems can make sections difficult to negotiate. Assess the current conditions and your own needs rather than relying on older descriptions of a universally accessible trail.

Eastern Sherbrooke Forest Walk

The Eastern Sherbrooke circuit is about 6.7km and begins and ends at Grants. It offers a longer immersion in tall forest, with steep sections that require more effort than the short nature walks. Allow several hours with breaks rather than treating it as an easy two-hour stroll.

Choose the longer circuit for a morning or early-afternoon start, leaving daylight for the return. Read the map at the start, carry water and follow the signed route through junctions. Footwear with grip is useful on damp ground. If only a short stop is available, choose Hardy Gully or remain around the picnic area instead of rushing a longer circuit.

Watching Wildlife Without Feeding

Birds remain part of the appeal even though organised feeding has ceased. Watch from a respectful distance and listen in the quieter forest sections. A lyrebird may be heard or seen, but sightings are never guaranteed.

Do not offer seed, picnic scraps or other food to wildlife. Keep food packed away when not eating and take rubbish home. These habits help protect animals and keep the picnic area pleasant for other visitors.

Parking, Toilets and Planning Your Visit

Use the Grants entrance at 70 Monbulk Road, Kallista. Designated accessible parking is distributed across the car parks. The newer toilet block opposite the coach parking area includes an accessible unisex toilet; the older block near the cafe is closed.

Entry to the picnic ground is free. Visit during daylight, check signed gate arrangements and allow enough time to finish any forest walk. For access questions, contact Parks Victoria on 13 1963.

Check the park’s current conditions before setting off, particularly after storms or when management operations affect forest access. Dogs and other pets are not permitted in the national park; recognised assistance dogs have separate arrangements.

Grants Picnic Ground FAQs

Can you still feed the birds?
The former organised bird-feeding attraction ended in February 2020. Watch birds quietly without seed or picnic scraps; wildlife remains part of the forest experience, but feeding is no longer a visitor activity.

Can I buy lunch at Grants?
The cafe building is temporarily closed while leasing arrangements are made. A coffee van is advertised Tuesday to Saturday, but bring food and drinking water when they are essential, and use a village cafe for a planned meal.

Which walk suits a short visit?
Hardy Gully is a roughly 700-metre loop and leaves time for a picnic. The Eastern Sherbrooke circuit is around 6.7 kilometres with steep sections, so allow several hours and choose it only when your group has the time and fitness.

Is Margaret Lester still an all-abilities walk?
Parks Victoria says its current surface and infrastructure no longer meet that standard. Obtain current advice about your mobility aid and needs; the original design alone does not establish that the route is suitable today.

Where are accessible picnic facilities?
An accessible table and barbecue are near the middle car park, with designated accessible bays across the parking areas. The newer toilet block opposite coach parking has an accessible unisex toilet; the older cafe-side block is closed.

Does the cafe closure mean the picnic ground is closed?
No. The cafe and picnic-ground access have separate arrangements. Check current park notices for your planned day and route, because weather or management operations may still close affected areas.

Is entry free and are dogs allowed?
General picnic-ground entry is free, but pets are prohibited in the national park. Recognised assistance dogs have separate arrangements; plan the forest visit without a pet and finish walking in daylight.