Melbourne's
Royal Botanic Gardens are among the world's finest and one of the
most glorious places to spend a leisurely afternoon or morning.
If you enjoy fine gardens, then a visit to these gardens is a must.
Even if you don't normally go out of your way to look at gardens,
the RBG is worth a visit. The gardens, which were founded in 1846
under the instructions of Charles La Trobe, the Superintendent of
Port Phillip, are laid out over 38 picturesque hectares of land
close to the Yarra River and in the heart of Melbourne (the gardens
are within 400 metres of the CBD). They comprise a collection of
a great diversity of plants from around the world selected on an
educational, scientific, research, horticultural and aesthetic basis.
The plants are set out in superb landscaped surroundings with a
lake as a central feature.
There are delightful walking paths and
huge garden beds. Such is the scale of the gardens that it is easy
to get lost within these grounds. Access to the gardens is free.
The gardens are also home to the National Herbarium of Victoria,
which has more than a million preserved plant specimens used for
plant classification, identification and conservation. This truly
is one of the great gardens of the world.
The
gardens are open every day of the year, but times change with the
seasons. From November through til March, they are open from 7.30am
to 8.30pm. From April until October, the hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm.
There
are tearooms, cafes and reception centre rooms within the grounds
of the gardens.
The Royal Botanic Gardens also has gardens at Cranbourne, comprising
250 hectares, which is about two hours drive south of Melbourne.