Royal Botanic Gardens

Lonely Planet review

Certainly the finest botanic gardens in Australia, and among the finest in the world, this is one of Melbourne's most glorious attractions. Sprawling beside the Yarra River, the beautifully designed gardens feature plants from Australia and around the world. Mini-ecosystems, such as the cacti and succulents area, herb garden and Australian rainforest are set amid the vast lawns. Take a book, picnic or Frisbee; most importantly, take your time.

Along with the abundance of plant species there's a surprising amount of wildlife, including waterfowl, ducks, swans and eels in and around the ornamental lake, and cockatoos and possums. Until recently, a large colony of flying foxes called the trees of Fern Gully home. The gardens' management attempted to cull the colony - a disappointing response from an institution founded on conservation and the preservation of nature. (See the boxed text, , for more.)

The gardens are encircled by the Tan, a 4km-long former horse-exercising track, and now Melbourne's favourite venue for joggers. During the summer months, the gardens play host to the Moonlight Cinema (see the boxed text, ) and theatre performances (see Fridays' EG section of the Age newspaper for details).

You can pick up guide-yourself leaflets at the park entrances; these leaflets change with the seasons and tell you what to look out for at the different times of year.

The visitors centre (9252 2429; ; 09:00 - 17:00 Mon-Fri, 09:30 - 17:30 Sat & Sun) is at the former centre for stargazers, Observatory Gate, Birdwood Ave. A range of tours departs from here. Choose from a variety of guided walks through assorted horticultural pockets to learn a bit about history, botany and wildlife. Other features include the Observatory (with tours of the night sky) and the Children's Garden. Next to the visitors centre, the National Herbarium, established in 1853, contains 1.2 million dried botanical specimens used for identification purposes.