The Tan, Melbourne
Sydney has Centennial Park, Melbourne has The Tan. This 3.8km track circumnavigates King’s Domain and the Botanic Gardens. Once a horse track, this is now the most popular venue for Melbournites to do their daily run. The name comes from either the colour of the smooth gravel surface of the path, or an abbreviation of Botanical. Regardless of how the label came about, it’s about as iconic as any running trail gets in Australia.
Underfoot you couldn’t ask for a better surface, other than a golf course! It’s generally busy at lunch or early afternoon, but never so packed that you can’t find your own rhythm or do intervals. 250m distance markers start near Swan St Bridge and go clockwise around the gardens. Most of the track is on gravel, apart from Anderson St hill, and there is one street crossing at Government House Dr. Much of the circuit is flat or on a slight decline, with a significant and steep rise at Anderson St.
Incidentally, the record for a single lap is 10:08 minutes, by none other than Craig Mottram. The fastest women is Sarah Jamison with 11:57.
Distance: 3.8km
Total Elevation: Negligible…one significant hill
Approximate Time: 15mins+