Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne

Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne are internationally renowned and have a history of more than 165 years. Spread over 94 acres, they have breathtaking landscapes and have a collection of more than 10,000 species of plants – both native and exotic.

It is a perfect place to relax within the scenic views. Being a visitor hard-pressed for time, we spent a couple of hours walking through the lush-green landscapes and covering Guilfoyle’s Volcano, Lakes, Fern Gully, and Children’s Garden.

Guilfoyle’s volcano deserves a special mention as it had a couple of big floating islands in it. We were amazed with the various species of Cacti artistically presented there.

They are not as vast as the Longwood gardens I visited in the US (and wrote about few weeks back). However, the entry to Royal Botanical Gardens is free and they are easily approachable being right in the city.

Though one thing that stood out for us was the Rainforest Walk. It was a different experience. Those tall trees and pathways give the feel of walking in the forest. It was well maintained too.

My wife loved sitting by the tiny ponds. Few families and group of friends were having picnic there.

There is also a guided tour of the Gardens, they give detailed explanation of how plants are grown, how they breed various species and how cross breeding is done. We took it for a few minutes as we were running out of time. It’s very educational though.

If you are in Melbourne and the weather is good, do spend a day there. It’s soothing, relaxing, and moreover, you don’t have to pay a penny!