The Fairfield Park Boathouse boasts a Superior Table with all the varieties of the season served in an historic riverside garden setting.

• It’s fresh
• It’s casual
• It’s inexpensive

Enjoy an informal outdoor dining experience where you can relax by the river in summer or sit by the cozy wood fires and admire the view in winter.

At Fairfield Park Boathouse we offer an extensive range of culinary delights. Our food policy is to do things the natural, non-interventionist way. Smart chefs keep the menu simple so our food is always fresh and we will not let it leave our kitchens if it isn't.

From the grill we offer seasonal seafood, high grade meat and poultry, gourmet sausages, home made hamburgers and children's meals, all cooked in front of your eyes on the outdoor grill.

The Tearoom also has many irresistible offerings including our famous Devonshire Tea.

Fairfield boathouse was established in 1908 by John St Clair as a picnic, camping and refreshment room area. John St Clair was a piano tuner from Smith street Fitzroy, with a vision. He firstly wrote a letter to the Premier suggesting that he open a refreshment room and boat shed area, with motor boats at Fairfield Park.

The Premier had to seek the approval form Yarra Bend Hospital of the Insane because the proposal for the boat shed was actually on the hospital grounds. The Premier gave his permission for the boat shed project to go ahead. Mr St Clair built the boat shed and six years later Fairfield Park was set aside from the same grounds. However Mr St Clair had seven troubled years with Crown Bailiffs over building permits. Eventually in 1915 the Heidelberg council bought him out.

In 1923 the boathouse was raised by 12 feet to help minimise flood damage, a frequent threat to boathouses along the Yarra.

Boat and canoe carnivals and open air carnivals were common sights at Fairfield until the 1950’s. Boating popularity declined until finally the Fairfield boathouse was closed in 1980 as it was declared unfit for human habitation.

In 1985 the boathouse was restored and re-opened. The derelict building had recently housed squatters and possums. The project took 30,000 hours of restoration work. Meticulous work and an eye for detail was required for rebuilding. Even the gardens have been restored to encourage native birds.