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Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Melbourne Gardens Tours
Things To Do South Yarra, Stonnington, Victoria
Cruises, Sailing and Water Tours
Attracting over 2 million visitors annually, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne is a treasured part of cultural life and a valuable asset to the city. With stunning vistas, tranquil lakes and diverse plant collections, the gardens are a place of continual discovery and delight.
Enjoy the aboriginal heritage walk, a free guided walk, a ride on the explorer bus or punting on the ornamental lake, all set against a beautiful backdrop and just moments from the city.
These beautiful gardens are home to amazing and diverse plant collections such as camellias, rainforest flora, succulents and cacti, roses, Californian species, herbs, perennials, cycads and plants from Southern China. Guilfoyle’s Volcano offers visitors a fabulous precinct to explore. The gardens are also a natural sanctuary for native wildlife.
The children’s garden has everything that children could want to help them discover the natural world, with plant tunnels that they can crawl through, rocks that they can climb and a bamboo forest in which they can hide.
Visitors can unwind at the Terrace café, the Observatory all day dining venue or find botanical-inspired souvenirs and gifts at the Gardens Shop. The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne hold seasonal plant sales twice a year, see their website for further details.
During summer, the lawns come alive with outdoor cinema, live music, theatre performances and exhibitions.
Services
From $12 to $15
Discover the beauty of this inner-city oasis in the comfort of the open-air minibus and admire rolling lawns and the stunning living collections at Melbourne Gardens.
Children ride half price on the Kids Explorer Bus during the school holidays. Experience amazing sights, sounds and scents as you cruise through the Gardens on this tour designed especially for families. Breathe in the fragrances of different eucalypt trees as you take in the colours of the landscape and learn why plants are so important for our planet.
Disabled Access
Family Friendly Public ToiletFrom $35 to $45
Womin Djeka. Journey into Melbourne Gardens, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with an Aboriginal guide.
Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia, and develop an understanding and appreciation for their customs and heritage as you discover their connection to plants and explore the traditional uses of plants for food, medicine and tools.
Disabled Access
Family Friendly Public ToiletFrom $15 to $20
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is full of incredible birdlife, from coots to cormorants, spinebills to swans. On this guided walk, spot water birds nesting around Ornamental Lake and delight in the sights and sounds of the birds that call the Gardens home. Continue your discovery with a take-home bird guide.
Disabled Access
From $30 to $45
Join friends and neighbours from the Robin Boyd Foundation on this expertly curated walking tour through South Yarra’s diverse architectural streetscape.
In 1958, architect powerhouse Robin Boyd completed his experimental and instantly iconic modernist home in Walsh Street, a stone’s throw from Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Boyd joined a celebrated list of architects and landscape designers who contributed to the design excellence of the precinct, including the Gardens’ own William Guilfoyle.
Starting at the Gardens and over a leisurely 2.5 kilometres, you will explore a slice of South Yarra remarkable for its architectural diversity and sheer number of well-preserved, heritage-listed residences. Your guide will highlight the history, landscapes and stories of this unique pocket of Melbourne.
Presented by Robin Boyd Foundation in association with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.
Disabled Access
$45
Embark on a captivating journey through time and space with guided tours at the Melbourne Observatory.
Dating back to 1861, discover the Melbourne Observatory’s significant place in Victoria’s history and its continued importance as a cultural and heritage site.
Experience two of the iconic telescopes housed in the buildings of the Observatory and learn how to use a telescope yourself on the Observatory Viewing Lawn. Delve into distant nebulae, lunar landscapes, and planetary wonders.
Join the Astronomical Society of Victoria’s passionate guides for an unforgettable night, where the present, history and cosmos converge.
Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and The Astronomical Society of Victoria.
Disabled Access
Do you want to understand how climate change is affecting plants and wildlife and contribute to climate change research?
Join their ClimateWatch advocates on this free guided walk to monitor biodiversity at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Learn about indicator species of plants and animals and how climate change is affecting their seasonal behaviour. The data you observe and record will help shape Australia’s scientific response to climate change. Make a real difference in your local community.
Disabled Access
From $90 to $290
Let them take you on a serene cruise around the islands of the picturesque Ornamental Lake in Melbourne’s stunning Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Settle back in an elegant wooden punt to enjoy a unique view of one of the world’s finest gardens as their professional guide tells you about it’s history and wild life.
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, taking the family out, or just catching up with friends, punting on the lake will be a memorable occasion.
Bringing sunscreen and mosquito repellent is strongly advised for all outdoor activities.
The boat can hold a maximum of six to eight passengers.
Disabled Access
Pack your headphones, set off along the meandering path and immerse yourself in ‘Australian Drylands’, the latest episode in their much-loved audio series Sonica Botanica. Explore the stories, themes and science behind this experimental garden, created in response to the challenges of climate change.
Big topics need big voices; you will hear interviews and conversations with horticulturists and scientists from their
expert team as well as biogeographer, Prof. Michael-Shaw Fletcher (Wiradjuri) and award-winning poet Dr Jeanine Leane (Wiradjuri), whose words have become a material part of the Australian Drylands landscape.
Scan the QR code for information about all Sonica Botanica episodes as well as their feature locations in the Gardens.
Disabled Access
A free guided walk is the perfect way to enjoy the sunny weather in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Led by a passionate guide, discover the remarkable plant diversity of this sanctuary in the middle of bustling Melbourne.
Disabled Access
