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One of many delightful vistas in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.

People visiting the gardens

Melbourne Botanical Gardens in winter

The Nympheas Lake.

The Herb Garden.

Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens (Entrance Gate)

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne are botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are comprised of 354,000 square metres (35 hectares or 87 acres) of beautifully landscaped gardens. They are widely regarded as the finest botanical gardens in Australia, and among the best in the world. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Royal Botanical Gardens might refer to: Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario in Canada. ... Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 1483 KB) Foliage with palm trees, reflected in pond, in the Royal Botanical Garden, Melbourne, Australia. ... Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 1483 KB) Foliage with palm trees, reflected in pond, in the Royal Botanical Garden, Melbourne, Australia. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... Inside the United States Botanic Garden Washington, D.C. Botanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily categorized and documented for scientific purposes. ... Inside the United States Botanic Garden Washington, D.C. Botanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily categorized and documented for scientific purposes. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... VIC redirects here. ... The Yarra River is a river in southern Victoria, Australia. ...

The Royal Botanic Gardens have a second division in the outer Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne, some 45km south-east of the city. The 363 hectare Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne have a focus solely on Australian native plants, and feature a newly opened and award winning special section called the Australian Garden. Cranbourne (pronounced Cran-bogan) is a large suburb and shithole of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia approximately 49 kilometres south-east of the CBD (via the M1 and the South Gippsland Highway) and is situated at an elevation of 50 metres above sea-level. ... Panoramic view of the Red Sand Garden, Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia The Ephemeral Lake Sculpture in the Red Sand Garden The Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. ... Panoramic view of the Red Sand Garden, Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia The Ephemeral Lake Sculpture in the Red Sand Garden The Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. ...

Governance and history

The gardens are governed under the Royal Botanic Gardens Act of 1991 by the Board of the Royal Botanic Gardens, who are responsible to the Minister for Environment. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1846 Charles La Trobe selected the site for the Royal Botanic Gardens from marshland and swamp. Charles La Trobe (March 20, 1801 - December 4, 1875) was the first lieutenant-governor of the state of Victoria. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In 1857 the first director was Ferdinand von Mueller, who created the National Herbarium of Victoria and brought in many plants. 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Baron Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller (German: Müller) (June 30, 1825 - October 10, 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably botanist. ...

In 1873 William Guilfoyle became Director and changed the style of the Gardens to something more like the picturesque gardens that were around at that time. He added tropical and temperate plants. 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... William Robert Guilfoyle (December 8, 1840 - June 25, 1912) was a landscape gardener and botanist in Victoria, Australia, acknowledged as the architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne and was responsible for the design of many parks and gardens in Melbourne and regional Victoria. ...

In 1924 a shooting massacre occurred at the Gardens resulting in the death of four people. ^[1] For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ...

Major projects

A major project at the Botanic Gardens over the past three years has been the building of the 5,000 square metre Ian Potter Children's Garden for children of all ages and abilities. The Ian Potter Children's Garden is based in South Yarra, off the main site. South Yarra is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

Horticulture

Living collections at the Botanic Gardens include Australian Rainforest Walk, California Gardens, Cacti and Succulents, Camelias, Cycad Collection, Eucalypts, Fern Gully, Grey Garden, Herb Garden, Long Island, New Caledonia Collection, New Zealand Collection, Oaks, Perennial Border, Roses, Southern Chinese Collection, Tropical Display-Glasshouse, Viburnum Collection and Water Conservation Garden.

These plant groups have been chosen for their value, rarity, diversity and interest.

Plant science

Since its earliest days, the Royal Botanic Gardens is involved in plant research and identification. This is done primarily through the Library, the Herbarium and the release of publications about specific plants as well as the journal Mulleria, which is a scientific representation of the work done in the Gardens in any one year.

More recently, the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology has been established to look at plants which grow in urban environments specifically. Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ...

Education and visitor information

Opening hours

The Gardens are open every day of the year at 7.30am and close at:

• 8.30pm November to March
• 6.00pm April, September and October
• 5.30pm May to August

The Gardens Visitor Centre is open 7 days a week:

• Weekdays 9.00am - 5.00pm
• Weekends 9.30am - 5.00pm

Transport

The Gardens are a 15 minute walk or 5 minute tram ride from Flinders Street Station to the Domain Road Interchange on tram routes 3, 5, 8, 16, 64, 67. Street parking is available for 2 to 4 hour periods. Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban rail network of Melbourne, Australia. ... This is a list of tram routes operated by Yarra Trams in the city of Melbourne, Australia. ...

The Tan

Royal Botanic Gardens (The National Herbarium Victoria - Founded in 1853)

There is a 3.8 km running track parallel to the perimeter fence of the Botanic Gardens. Officially termed The Tan Track as it has a surface of tan bark, it is more commonly and affectionately known as The Tan. In Botany, a herbarium is a collection of preserved plants or plant parts, mainly in a dried form. ... For other uses, see Running (disambiguation). ...

The Tan originally served as a horse track for Melbourne's well-heeled, and is now one of Melbourne's most frequented locations for joggers. Locals, visitors and famous alike now share the space as its international reputation has grown. The Tan is often used in training by professional athletes, such as AFL footballers, particularly during pre-season time-trials. Running greats such as Hitcham El Guerrouj, Steve Ovett, Cathy Freeman, and Sonia O'Sullivan have all rubbed shoulders with the general public on The Tan. This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... Stephen Michael James (Steve) Ovett OBE (born October 9, 1955), is a former middle distance runner from England. ... Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman OAM (born February 16, 1973) is an Australian athlete who is particularly associated with the 400 m race. ... Sonia OSullivan (born November 28, 1969) is an Irish runner from Cobh, County Cork. ...

The quickest lap of the Tan has been held by such notable Australian runners as Robert de Castella and Steve Moneghetti (10:41, 2003). The current record is 10 minutes and 12 seconds, run by Craig Mottram in 2004. On the 21st of December, 2006, Craig Mottram unofficially broke his personal best time around the tan, running a scorching 10 minutes and 8 seconds [1] while running with the Richmond Football Club during their pre-season training. He gave the footballers a two-and-a-half minute head start and still managed to beat them comprehensively. Robert de Castella MBE (born 1957) was a world champion marathon runner. ... Steve Moneghetti (born September 26, 1962 in the town of Ballarat, Victoria) is a long-distance runner from Australia, who was not considered to be a good runner in primary school as he never managed to win a single medal. ... Craig Mottram is an Australian long distance and middle distance runner. ...

The inaugural Go the Tan run was held in early February 2006, and provides the opportunity for participants to run, jog or walk around The Tan and receive an official time.

Problems at the Botanic Gardens

Important problems for the Botanic Gardens have included unwanted plant and animal life which interferes significantly with the management of the gardens. There are also problems with water conservation.

Beginning in 2002, the Royal Botanic Gardens has had significant problems managing an increasing population of Grey-headed Flying Foxes. It culminated in damaged trees and habitat. The Royal Botanic Gardens managed this by moving the flying foxes to Horseshoe Bend in Ivanhoe, and by disturbing the flying foxes and providing a familiar environment. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Binomial name Pteropus poliocephalus (Temminck, 1825) The grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) is a fruitbat native to Australia. ... Ivanhoe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

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Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne

In regard to weeds (always a problem with a botanic gardens of this size) the Botanic Gardens developed a strategic plan in 2004 to minimise weed infestations by educating the public and management, and to help conserve the indigenous and other species. Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• RBG website
• Disability information
• [1]

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Notes