Council will soon begin a comprehensive review of the Warburton Paid Parking Pilot, introduced last year to help manage tourism traffic and improve parking availability during peak periods.
In May 2025, Council introduced the Warburton Paid Parking Pilot in response to community concerns about tourism traffic and parking availability on weekends, public holidays, and school holidays.
Under the pilot, all Yarra Ranges residents were able to apply for free parking whilst visitors were required to pay for parking in designated areas, including along the Warburton Highway and at Warburton Water World.
Any revenue raised through the Warburton Paid Parking Pilot is intended to be reinvested back into the township.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Cr Richard Higgins, said Council would now assess how the pilot had performed over the past year.
"Warburton has fast become one of the highest-visited areas in our region, with the Warburton Water World becoming a key destination in the warmer months, and the first 60 kilometres of the Warburton Bike Park now open," he said.
"This pilot project aimed to improve parking turnover by encouraging visitors to be more mindful of where and how long they needed to park, while, importantly, ensuring that locals didn't have to pay to park in their own municipality.
"Now that the busy summer period has ended, we will have a full year of data to review. We'll be assessing how the pilot impacted traffic and parking across the town, local trade and how much revenue it made that can be reinvested back into the town."
While the review is taking place, the current paid parking system will remain in place until 30 September, with all existing permits automatically extended until this date.
Residents only need to contact Council if their details (car registration, address) have changed. Residents who have not yet applied for a permit can still do so.
Findings from the review, along with any recommendations, will be presented at a Council meeting later this year.
