My Favourite Places: Jells Park, Wheelers Hill

There's something about an early morning that strips everything back. No noise, no rush — just you, the cold air, and whatever the day decides to offer. Jells Park in Wheelers Hill is where I go when I need that reset.

I've walked the path around the lake more times than I can count, and it never feels the same twice. That's the thing about this place — it looks ordinary on a map, but show up before the rest of the suburb wakes up, and it reveals itself completely differently.

The Walk Around the Lake

The loop around the lake is my go-to. It's unhurried, familiar, and endlessly rewarding if you're paying attention. In the early morning, the path is quiet — just the crunch of gravel underfoot and the occasional rustle from the reeds.

I always slow down at the water's edge. There's no point rushing through Jells Park. The whole point is to let it come to you.

Mist on the Water

On the right winter morning, the lake disappears into itself. A low mist sits over the surface, softening everything — the far bank, the trees, the birds moving through it. It's one of those scenes that makes you stop mid-stride.

I've tried to photograph it many times. Sometimes I get it right. More often, I just stand there and watch, which is probably the better outcome anyway. There's a stillness to a misty morning at Jells Park that's genuinely hard to describe — you have to be there for it.

The Ducks

The ducks are everywhere, and I mean that affectionately. On the lake, on the grass, waddling across the path with complete indifference to whoever's walking by. Pacific black ducks, wood ducks, the occasional teal — they go about their business with a confidence that I find quietly admirable.

On the green near the water's edge, you'll often find a whole congregation of them, heads down, grazing. It's an easy scene to walk past without a second glance. But get low, shoot into the light, and suddenly it's something else entirely.

Purple Swamphens on the Ground

The purple swamphens are one of my favourite subjects at Jells Park — and they're remarkably unbothered. Unlike a lot of waterbirds that flush the moment you get within twenty metres, the swamphens tend to hold their ground. They'll look at you, assess the situation, and generally decide you're not worth the effort of moving.

That confidence makes them wonderful to photograph. The deep blue-purple of their plumage catches beautifully in soft morning light, and their bright red bills are almost absurdly vivid against the green grass. I've spent entire mornings just watching them work their way along the bank.

The Ibises on the Island

And then there are the ibises. If the swamphens are the quiet locals, the ibises are the loud neighbours who've never once considered turning it down.

There's a small island on the lake that they've claimed as their own, and on certain mornings the noise coming from it is extraordinary — a chaotic, overlapping chorus of calls that carries right across the water. Watch them lift off as a group and it's genuinely dramatic: a mass of white wings against the sky, circling, calling, completely unbothered by any sense of decorum.

They're not everyone's favourite bird. But there's an energy to them that I find hard not to love.

Why I Keep Coming Back

Jells Park isn't a destination in the way that some places are. It doesn't ask anything of you. You can walk the whole lake in under an hour, see nothing remarkable, and still leave feeling better than when you arrived.

But on the right morning — misty, still, with the swamphens on the bank and the ibises kicking up a racket on the island — it's as good as anywhere I've been with a camera. And it's fifteen minutes from home.

That's a rare thing.

Jells Park is located in Wheelers Hill in Melbourne's south-east. Free entry, open year-round. Best visited at first light for wildlife and atmosphere.