Victoria is often referred to as The Garden State with very good reason, and the lesser-known
Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne makes it easy to see why.
Explore garden upon garden as you soak up nature's wonders and remember how good it is to be alive. It's absolutely breathtaking.
Located just 50 minutes from Melbourne, it features the multi award-winning
Australian Garden, which comprises a gallery of exhibition gardens, flora, landscapes, art and architecture that highlight the beauty of our much-loved Australian landscape.
Start your journey from the car park, which is actually a garden that just happens to have cars in it. Take note of the beautiful Melaleuca trees and colourful Bottlebrushes.
Then there's the
Red Sand Garden, a vast, picturesque landscape with sandhills, flat land river environments, a section of mantries (the fruit used for food by Aborigines), and a fascinating display of flora such as Kangaroo-paw and Pineapple Bush.
Dotted with striking lillies, the Rockpool Waterway features the massive Gymea Lily, with a flower spike growing up to four metres tall! The Dry River Bed reflects water's power to shape the landscape on a seasonal basis, while flower displays in the Arid Garden bring a splash of glorious colour to the desert terrain.
The gardens highlight the ways people can use both common and rare Australian plants in their own home surrounds, with themes, which do change, including plant diversity, water conservation, the future garden, home garden and the children's backyard garden.
Finally, the Eucalypt Walk is simply blissful. Set amongst 363 hectares of native bushland, nature lovers can take in the sights with a leisurely stroll, or enjoy a variety of guided walks, tours, educational programs and special events.
Feast your eyes on some snaps of the
beautiful blooms
you're likely to come across. Now, that's what I call a photo album!
After soaking up the sights, head to the
Boonerwurrung Café for some every good coffee and tucker.
If you're taking kiddies along, get them to join the
Garden Grubs Kids' Club first, so they can bring along some activity sheets on the day – and do some fun, educational activities at home too.
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne are there for your enjoyment and pleasure. Make the most of them!
