Royal Botanic Gardens - Cranbourne

Royal Botanic Gardens – Cranbourne

45 Minutes out of town is a less well known division of the Royal Botanic Gardens – The Australian Garden.  It may not be as famous as its city cousin – but it is certainly breathtaking and worth a visit.

When:  9am – 5pm daily (closed Christmas Day and total fire ban days)

Where:  Corner Ballarto Road and Botanic Drive Cranbourne (off South Gippsland Highway) click here for map

Cost: FREE

Review

This has been on my bucket list ever since it appeared on a friends Facebook post a year or so ago.  Opened in 2006 the Australian Garden is a contemporary space celebrating native gardens.  Stage two of the gardens is due to open in late October 2012 – so put this on the to-do list when warmer weather hits…

The Gardens are full of fabulous paths – kids loved racing about.. and doing the circuit around the red earth feature is a great little walk.  One one side is a series of installation gardens – a bit of fun.  Added to that there is a paddling area!

The cafe has a fabulous view.  Cafe fare is not too bad, my coffee was good.

With 363 hectares of native bushlands Cranbourne also includes walking tracks and picnic areas… our visit was totally unplanned (we were on our way to Phillip Island) and so we didn’t have time to explore further, but this summer we’ll be heading back with a picnic packed!  We spoke to someone who had just completed two laps of the paths and he reported he’d seen a wallaby and a wombat during his walk.

For more information about the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne click here.

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