What to know about Richmond
- Richmond was the largest of Melbourne's inner suburbs at the 2021 Census, with 28,587 residents and a median age of 34.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census QuickStats (Richmond (Vic.))
- 16.8% of Richmond residents were aged 25 to 29, more than double the Victorian share of 7.3%.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census QuickStats (Richmond (Vic.))
- On Census day 6.6% of employed Richmond residents walked to work and 2.5% cycled, against 2.3% and 0.7% across Victoria.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census QuickStats (Richmond (Vic.))
- Anyone running personal training on City of Yarra public land for a commercial benefit must hold a council permit, and group sizes are capped by park category at 6, 15 or 20 people.Source: City of Yarra, Commercial Fitness Activity and Personal Training Permit System Policy
- Citizens Park in Richmond offers only limited permits in set windows, such as weekdays from 6am to 8am, with a maximum of three permits per window, while Burnley Park takes groups of up to 15.Source: City of Yarra, Commercial Fitness Activity and Personal Training Permit System Policy
- Yarra's Community Local Law 2026 bars commercial fitness activities before 7am or after 9pm, in exclusion zones, or with amplified music or audio.Source: Yarra City Council, Community Local Law 2026
Parks by category
The City of Yarra's permit policy applies to anyone who runs personal training on public land for a commercial benefit, and it sorts the parks into categories with a ceiling on numbers: six people in a Category A park, 15 in B and 20 in C. Burnley Park takes groups of up to 15. Sessions keep 10 metres from park structures, stay out from under tree canopies and use no pegs, markers, loudspeakers or moved park furniture. Training is therefore light on gear and heavy on technique.
Citizens Park, by the hour
Citizens Park, on the corner of Gleadell and Highett Streets near tram route 78, is in such demand that the policy offers only limited permits in four windows: weekdays 6am to 8am, weekdays 8am to 4pm, weekends 7am to 8.30am and Thursday evenings in winter, with no more than three permits per window. If you want a Citizens Park session before work, your trainer needs one of those three.
Hours under the local law
Yarra's Community Local Law 2026 adds a blanket rule for commercial fitness: nothing before 7am or after 9pm, nothing in an exclusion zone and no amplified music or audio. The permit itself expires on 31 July each year and the council asks for fourteen days to approve it, so a trainer starting in August should already have the new one.
A young, walking suburb
At the 2021 Census Richmond had 28,587 residents and a median age of 34. 16.8% were aged 25 to 29, more than double the Victorian share, and 38.7% of households were a single person. Walking to work (6.6%) and cycling (2.5%) were both well above the state. With 53.0% of homes being flats, many clients here meet their trainer in the park rather than at home. See how outdoor training works.
AimFit is a referral service, not a gym. We pass your enquiry to one Richmond trainer and step back. Make an enquiry, or look at Hawthorn across the river.
Richmond questions
How early can a park session start in Richmond?
Not before 7am under Yarra's Community Local Law 2026, and Citizens Park permits run in fixed windows on top of that.
How big can a group be?
It depends on the park's category under the Yarra policy: six, 15 or 20 people. Burnley Park allows up to 15.