Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne cover 38 hectares about two kilometres from the city centre, on land selected for a garden by Charles La Trobe in 1846. The gardens owe their character largely to William Guilfoyle, who became director in 1873 and reshaped the site in the picturesque style, adding sweeping lawns, curving paths and plantings from tropical and temperate climates. The original wetlands were reworked into the Ornamental Lake around the turn of the twentieth century.

More than 8,500 plant species are grown here across around thirty living collections. Among them are camellias, rainforest plants, cacti and succulents, roses, Californian species, herbs and perennials, cycads, plants from southern China, and a Rare and Threatened Species Collection of plants from south-eastern Australia. Guilfoyle's Volcano is listed among the living collections, and the Ornamental Lake makes a natural centre point for a walk.

Families should plan around the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden, a 5,000 square metre area designed for children of all ages and abilities. It opens at 10am and is generally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays outside Victorian school and public holidays, and it shuts for winter maintenance from the start of Term 3 until Father's Day, so check the current timetable before promising it to children.

Entry is free except for special ticketed events, and the gardens open every day of the year, including public holidays. Opening hours are seasonal: until 7:30pm in the warmer months and until 5:30pm between April and September, from a 7:30am start. The Visitor Centre near Observatory Gate is open from 9:30am to 5pm daily except Christmas Day and can help with mobility equipment hire, bookings and self-guided routes. There are ten gates, so check the map for the one nearest your starting point. Cycling and e-scooters are not allowed inside, though there is bike parking near Observatory Gate.

To get there by tram, take routes 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 or 72 along St Kilda Road to stop 19 at the Shrine of Remembrance and walk about 650 metres to Observatory Gate. Anzac Station, on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury line, is the nearest railway station, and buses 605 and 246 also serve the area. Combining a garden walk with the Shrine works well, and a relaxed loop of the lake and main lawns takes around two hours. The organisation also runs a second, larger site at Cranbourne, whose Australian Garden displays native plants.