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The former Moonee Ponds Courthouse houses a museum of the local area, run by the Essendon Historical Society. In June 2016, a fire damaged the building and the collection, but it was restored.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Performing arts centre including drama, dance, music performances and movie screenings.
A place to spend a relaxing day. There's a rose garden, a sunken garden, a lake, a cafe, and a 50-m pool open from November to March ($5.70 pool entry). Monuments include a cenotaph remembering Australia's dead in World War One, and a cairn marking the spot where the doomed Burke and Wills expedition camped on its first night heading out of Melbourne in 1860. There's a children's playground and an island rotunda, and if you follow the website link there's a brochure for a free self-guided local heritage walk starting and ending at the park.
One of Melbourne's Big Three horse racing venues, there are several race meetings a month in the busy season from September to March. The famous Cox Plate weight-for-age race is run here in late October each year.
Interesting gallery with exhibitions, art history talks, adult art courses, and workshops.
Non-stop art exhibitions and an endless list of music gigs and theatre shows. In summer outdoor film screenings take place on the banks of the Maribyrnong River.
On the "wrong" side of the bay in terms of famous Melbourne beaches, Altona Beach is a strictly locals-only affair. However, because it is a very long, clean, sandy beach, with plenty of parking, it is known as the best beach in Melbourne's west. Altona has a thriving restaurant and cafe district nearby, centred around Pier St. There's even a big new (2024) jetty, and the esplanade is lined with mature trees which provide some shade. Accessible by train and bus, too.