Churchill National Park

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Churchill National Park
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)

Nearest town/city:	Dandenong
Coordinates:	37°57′05″S, 145°15′37″E
Area:	2.71 km²
Managing authorities:	Parks Victoria
Official site:	Churchill National Park

Churchill is a national park in Victoria (Australia), 31 km southeast of Melbourne. Churchill NP can be found in the Dandenong area near the Monash Freeway and Stud Road. Churchill National Park has fantastic woodland and lots of fauna. Churchill is joined onto Lysterfield Park, and joined, they cover around 1,668 hectares.

There are tracks throughout Churchill for walking, cycling and jogging. One recommended walking track for a very peaceful walk is Channel Track, surrounded by thick woodland and it runs beside the old aqueduct. The Eastern boundary track is particularly good for cycling and jogging. Bird watching is spectacular at Churchill NP, and one good spot for bird watching is by the dam along the northern boundary track.

The park that is now Churchill national park was once the police corps headquarters for blacktrackers and provided grazing land for the police horses. Many years later it was known as the Police Paddocks. In the 1920s, metropolitan development brought some change to Churchill, which was still known as Police Paddocks. Local stone was dug up for road metal and building material, a water supply channel was cut to Dandenong, and the State Electricity Commission obtained a power line easement. Fire and the clearing of the area took place. In 1941 the area was named Dandenong National Park, later renamed Churchill National Park [after Sir Winston Churchill] in 1944.

Churchill National Park is famous for its 173 different species of birds, such as the Australian Wood Duck and the Pacific Black Duck. Most mammals are only active at night, so if you arrive early or leave late, you might be lucky enough to see one, such as Echidnas, Wallabies and Kangaroos. Echidnas are also active during the day, searching for ants and grubs in the ground.

The picnic ground at Churchill NP has gas barbecues, a uni-sex toilet and shelter. Picnic grounds are provided on the end of the access road.