Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

The Melbourne gardens were founded in 1846 and shaped from the 1870s by the director William Guilfoyle, who rejected the strict scientific grid then in fashion and laid out sweeping lawns, curving paths and vistas around an ornamental lake, a style that still governs the place. Around ten thousand species grow across thirty-eight hectares, including a fern gully, a cactus and succulent collection, a Californian garden and the Guilfoyle's Volcano water reservoir replanted with arid species. The Ian Potter Children's Garden, the Melbourne Observatory of 1863 and Aboriginal heritage walks run within the grounds. Outside the fence, the Tan running track circles the gardens and is a Melbourne institution.

What you actually see

• The ornamental lake - Guilfoyle's landscape with lawns, water and vistas.
• The fern gully - a shaded valley of tree ferns in the garden's centre.
• Guilfoyle's Volcano - the restored reservoir planted with arid species.
• The Melbourne Observatory - the 1863 buildings within the grounds.

When to go

September to May for the best display, with spring flowering and autumn colour; the gardens are open year-round from dawn to dusk with seasonal closing times. Summer evenings host outdoor cinema and theatre. Weekends bring crowds to the lawns.

Honest expectations

The gardens are free but the grounds are large and take longer to walk than expected. Summer heat is intense on the open lawns. Events in summer close sections of the grounds and require tickets.

Nearby

The Shrine of Remembrance is across the road; the Yarra and the city centre lie north.