Lysterfield Park Parking: Arrive Before 10am in Summer, Roadside Parking Not Allowed, Night Closures Until 27 November (VIC)

Parks Victoria’s summer notice for Lysterfield Park says car parks may fill quickly, that visitors should try to arrive before 10am, and that if the car park is full, the park is too. It also says roadside parking is not allowed, for visitor safety, because the roads are narrow. This guide sets out what Parks Victoria says about parking, the closures that run until 27 November 2026, the Lake Circuit Trail, the lake and the mountain bike trails, as of 10 November 2026.

Where is Lysterfield Park, and how do I park?

Parks Victoria gives the address as Horswood Road, Lysterfield VIC 3156, and describes the park as rising from the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. Its Safety note for the summer lists these points:

• This is a popular park and car parks may fill quickly; try arriving before 10am.
• If the car park is full, the park is too, so have a backup plan.
• Do not park illegally and block emergency access; for visitor safety, roadside parking is not allowed due to the narrow roads.
• During busy times, consider other local parks, including Cardinia Reservoir Park or Dandenong Police Paddocks Reserve.

The When to go section says summer is very busy at Lysterfield Park and there is limited parking, and to arrive early and have a backup plan. The pages name three parking and access points: the Beach Carpark at the southern end of the lake, the Hallam North Road Carpark, which gives access to the mountain bike trails, and the Lysterfield Picnic Area behind which the Trailmix track runs. They give no fee or number of spaces.

Is the park closed at night?

Parts of it are, for a deer control program. The notice says Lysterfield Park (Northern Conservation Zone) will be closed while ground shooting operations targeting deer are undertaken. Park closures will apply to affected areas overnight, between 4:00pm and 8:00am, on a number of nights between 17 August and 27 November 2026. The notice says the affected area is inaccessible on those nights, that signage will be posted at all main access gates when control is taking place, and that visitors should observe the signage and not enter the reserve. It refers to an attached map, “Control Area LNCZ”, for the control area, and gives 13 19 63 for more information. The attachment and the list of nights are not part of the page text we read.

A second notice says some barbecues are not in operation. Parks Victoria is inspecting all barbecues in its parks, some have been temporarily closed until a licensed contractor attends to them, and it advises people not to use closed barbecue facilities. It expects the affected barbecues to reopen in the coming weeks. The picnic areas, two along the lake shore, are listed with toilets, picnic tables and free electric barbecues.

What is the Lake Circuit Trail like?

Parks Victoria calls it Lysterfield Park’s most popular trail for walkers, runners and families, with a mostly flat wide gravel surface and two short hills, and distance markers every 1km. It is suitable for bicycles and off-road prams. The trail crosses the dam wall for panoramic views of the lake and passes three jetties where you can take a break. The distance is given three ways: the park page says 6km, the trail page says a 5.5km circuit and a 1.5 hour walk, and the mountain bike page says 6.3km.

Parks Victoria says to visit close to dawn or dusk for the best chance of seeing wildlife, that kangaroos and wallabies are most active in the mornings and evenings, and that you might see koalas and echidnas. For a more adventurous bushwalk it points to the Granite Peak Trail, which climbs to Trig Point for 360-degree views of Melbourne. The trail network connects to neighbouring Churchill National Park.

What can I do on the lake?

Lysterfield Lake is an 82ha lake that Parks Victoria says is very popular for canoeing, kayaking and sailing. The rules on the page are:

• Two beaches near Beach Carpark, at the southern end of the lake, are suitable for walk-in swimming. The lake is not patrolled by lifeguards and children should be supervised at all times.
• Swimming is not permitted elsewhere in the lake, because of unpredictable depths and waterbird habitat.
• The boat ramp allows sailing, canoeing and stand up paddle boarding; no powered vessels are allowed, and model boating is allowed with non-powered craft only.
• Boat trailer parking is available, with a boat launching and rigging zone.
• Sailing is on monohull boats up to 5 metres long or multi-hull boats up to 4.3 metres long; Lysterfield Sailing Club welcomes new members through Parks Victoria on 13 1963.

What mountain bike trails are there?

Parks Victoria says Lysterfield has 24km of purpose-built mountain bike trails suitable for all skill levels, including a skills park and the 2006 Commonwealth Games course (the State Mountain Bike Course). It groups the trails into easy, more difficult and very difficult ones:

Level	Trails named, with length
Easy	Lake Circuit Trail (6.3km); Lower Blair Witch (0.6km); Trail Mix (1.0km, behind the Lysterfield Picnic Area)
More difficult	Lower Buckle (2.4km); Upper Buckle (0.7km); Middle (1.9km); Red Gum (1.2km); Hug Trail (1.5km, from the Hallam North Road Carpark); Upper Blair Witch (2.0km); Snipe (0.7km); Pump Track; Buckle Down (0.3km); Dog Pound (0.6km); Humping Hound (0.6km); Farm Trail (0.4km); Lil Shawty (0.2km)

The very difficult trails are listed on the same page for experienced riders, and a mountain bike fact sheet and trail map can be downloaded from it. The page says experienced riders can take a short diversion from the top of the State Mountain Bike Course up to Trig Point Lookout.

What else do the pages say?

Parks Victoria says Lysterfield is a great place to see kangaroos and wallabies in the wild close to Melbourne, and lists koalas, echidnas, wombats and platypus among the wildlife. It asks visitors to leave dogs at home and says dogs are not allowed in the park. The Hallam North Road Carpark page lists warnings for snakes, uneven ground and vehicles, and no camping, no fires and no horses on that site. Assistance dogs are welcome in Parks Victoria parks, with entry requirements in usually dog-prohibited parks. The page also offers free guided Park Walks led by volunteers.

What is still unknown?

The pages we read do not give the number of spaces, any parking fee, the nights on which the Northern Conservation Zone is closed, or a public transport route to the park. The Lake Circuit Trail distance appears as 6km, 5.5km and 6.3km on different pages. The notices are as published on 10 November 2026, and Parks Victoria says conditions can change at short notice.

Sources

• Parks Victoria — Lysterfield Park (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Lysterfield Lake (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Lake Circuit Trail (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Mountain bike trails in Lysterfield Park (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Hallam North Road Carpark (checked 10 November 2026)

Featured image: kangaroos on a track at Lysterfield Park (photo: ghatamos / CC BY 2.0, text added). Other photos are from Wikimedia Commons and were taken between 2011 and 2016.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Parks Victoria.