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Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Melbourne Gardens Tours
Things To Do South Yarra, Stonnington, Victoria
Cultural and Theme 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.
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.
For private group bookings, please call 03 9252 2429 or email [email protected].
A note for participants.
At Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria they acknowledge the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, representing more than 250 language groups across Australia. They invite you to join this walk with an open heart and mind to deepen your understanding of First Peoples’ heritage and living culture, especially in relation to the plants and landscapes of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Does not run Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
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
Family Friendly Public ToiletFrom $30 to $45
Join our 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’ll 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
Image credit: Mike Lam @mikelamwz
Disabled Access
Public Toilet$45
Embark on a captivating journey through time and space with our 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
Public ToiletDo 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
Public ToiletImmerse yourself in intertwining stories, atmospheric music and mesmerising sounds of the natural environment in Sonica Botanica.
Six standalone episodes each explore a special landscape or plant collection at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, from the Arid Garden to Fern Gully to Long Island and more. Pop in your headphones and discover these places through the voices of Gardens staff, visitors and expert guests.
Visit the featured locations, scan the Sonica Botanica QR code
and take in these sublime sonic experiences, or listen online now.
Disabled Access
Family Friendly Public ToiletEnjoy a free guided walk through Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, one of the city’s most beautiful attractions. Led by a knowledgeable and passionate guide, this experience immerses you in stunning landscapes, rare and unusual plants, and fascinating stories. It’s the perfect introduction for visitors wanting to connect with nature while discovering this world-renowned botanic garden.
Disabled Access
Family Friendly Pet Friendly - Enquire Public ToiletAbout 900 species and sub-species of eucalypt grow in Australia and have adapted to amazingly diverse habitats and climates.
These environments include deserts, snowy mountains, coasts, rainforest edges, monsoonal areas and many places in-between. Unsurprisingly, their leaves, flowers, fruits, bark and height vary enormously, ranging from two-metre high shrubs to towering forest giants of 100m.
Come and learn more about these fascinating trees and celebrate National Eucalypt Day by joining these guided tours which explore the Eucalypt collection at Melbourne Gardens.
Disabled Access
Family Friendly Public Toilet$50
Originating from Japan, Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is a preventative health practice that improves and strengthens mental and physical wellbeing. Recognised as a public health practice in Asia and Europe, forest therapy is gaining global acclaim as an evidence-based, cost-effective and natural remedy – a green prescription for a healthier you.
You will learn simple nature connection, sensory and creative practices to help calm your mind. Other proven health benefits of forest therapy include boosted immune system, reduced stress levels, regulated pulse and blood pressure and better sleep.
For exclusive group experiences, team-building, or staff wellbeing programs please email Royal Botanic Gardens Vistoria Events team.
Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and In My Nature and the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA).
Disabled Access
Public Toilet
