royal botanic gardens cranbourne

This was my first visit to these gardens and I do hope to go again, as these are gardens which still seem to be in their early stages of development. So I know it will be very different the next time I make it back to this area.Love the layout and the different areas of Australian plants - worth a visit and it's free!

Today we visited the Royal Botanical Gardens at Cranbourne. It was a lovely autumn day and the colours of the Australian bush were just amazing. This is a truly stunning garden - it is a masterpiece of garden design and landscaping.We have been to other great gardens such as Keukenhof in Holland and this garden ranks in this league. Walking through the arrangement of Australian flora (unique in the world - as the garden brochure indicates 85% of all Australian flora are unique to Australia), It is a spiritual experience walking through the various habitats with the red centre feature visible from all parts of the garden.The garden itself is set in a much larger tract of land in which there are walking and bike tracks for the more energetic visor of for those who want a longer experience of the Australian bush.To see the Australian garden properly you would need several days, but on a first visit you need to allocate at least three hours. There is a cafe in the garden which serves breakfast for the early visitors and lunch. The prices are reasonable and the food is fair average quality for this kind of facility.What the Cranbourne garden has over a garden like Keukenhof is that it is open all year round. It would clearly be an educative experience to see the gardens in each of the four seasons, The biggest drawback to visiting the gardens is that Cranbourne is about 50km from the Melbourne CBD and is not really accessible by public transport. There is a suburban train to Cranbourne (about every 20 minutes) but the gardens are a good 4km from the railway station. A local taxi ride would cost about $15.The big plus is that entry to the garden is free.A magnificent garden and a truly great way to see Australian flora in all its diversity. The signage around the gardens is very informative and it is a really pleasant walk through the many walking tracks in the garden. All the grades are easy to negotiate and disabled access is also quite well catered for.One of the must see visits when inMelbourne along with Healesville sanctuary, Phillip Island and the Melbourne Zoo and the Royal Botanical Gardens in the City.We loved the experience

Who would have thought a "gum tree" had sooo many varieties! Hundreds apparently and you can see them all at Cranbourne. There's even the story of how/why they got called "gum" and also the botanists who logged all the varieties. Spent a good 2 hours just seeing part of this wonderful Australian garden. From Outback Australia with the desert and trees to the beautiful wattles and flowering gums trees. There is also several walks through the natural bush, but these were closed due to the very hot weather and fire danger. Thank heavens this is here for all to see. Great cafe too with locally grown food and good clean toilets. Keep up the good work of saving all the Australian flora!

My wife and I wandered around these gardens for 5 hours, so much to see, so much history, and wonderful shrubbery and flowers. When we got hot, we paddled in the water course and cooled. When we were hungry, we went to the good quality restaurant. Try the home made steak and mushroom pie. Delicious! Back to the garden, we saw a tiger snake foraging and we left having enjoyed our experience.

Called in as we went past. Free to go in. Little Road Train ? ride around the site is a must. This is a hop on, hop off option. Cost $6. With a lot of information given by the driver. Great place to go and I will be back with a group. Cafe here had lovely food and gift shop is excellent.

I visited the Botanical Gardens recently with my partner for breakfast at the cafe, which was fantastic! We were seated by the window overlooking the gardens and found the entire experience to be relaxing and tranquil. The staff were lovely, the service was great and the food was wonderful. Afterwards we wondered around the gardens and walking trails, spotting lots of wildlife along the way- even encountering a wallaby spying on us. I'd highly recommend anyone visit the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne. Just be prepared for a LOT of walking!

My wife and I have been to the gardens a number of times, free entry. We mainly visit in two ways. The long walk around the main area is up to three kilometres long. Secondly walking around the main gardens is approximately one kilometre in length. There is a road train which you can travel for all or part length, but there is a cost to do this. There is an eatery at the start and a smaller eatery about half way around. There is a waterway near the start which you and your children can splash around in. Then there are a number of specific garden set ups which would take to long to describe fairly. So if you are a couple or a family go discover and enjoy the experience.

Just a nice relaxing walk and love the desert set and the walking paths, and a nice BBQ area as well

Such a varied display of gardens and plants. Excellent for children, with a playground as well as a childrens garden. The Australian Garden is a superb feature, and "The Rock" stands out from various views around the garden. Even the "Thong Garden" adds amusement to the walk around.If walking is not your style, then the village train ride around the gardens comes with a driver of vast knowledge of the gardens.Enjoy a drink or meal in the Gardens cafe, which overlooks the "Australian Garden". This is not just a five minute visit. Be prepared for at least an hour, then go the oyher way around and see different plants and gardens that you missed on the first lap.If you are looking for an exercise walk, then a trip around the gardens to the lookout and beyond will take one to two hours of bush walking on wide open tracks. Must be the best day out for FREE.

These gardens are a wonderful example of Australia'a flora and are simply outstanding. It is well worth at least half a day MINIMUM to explore all they offer. Rangers are on hand to advise and there is a little train to help you get around as there is quite a lot of walking involved. The rock formations and hard landscaping are brilliant and the initial view of the red centre as you enter the gardens is amazing. Great place for photography as well. If you walk the back trails you can see black faced wallabies in their natural habitat. Lots of activities for children and play areas and barbeques and places for picnics if you don't want to use the well stocked cafe. An excellent gift shop is there with high quality gifts pertaining to Australia.

Love it there, great place to get in some easy exercise while walking through the different gardens and areas on display. You can even see some local wildlife as in wallabies who bake in the sun during the day.

This is a wonderful way to capture the essence of Australia without having to travel vast distances. Only a very short drive from Cranbourne. Well worth the visit.

Loved it here. So interesting for us and the kids. They can paddle in the rock stream and there is heaps of different types of gardens and plants to look at and touch and smell. I love the fact it's Australian gardens at their best. Lovely food in cafe. Thoroughly enjoyed

The Cranbourne Australia Garden is one of the most beautiful places I have been. Hidden away in Cranbourne is this oasis. There is a little train that you can get around on or just walk the tracks. The rangers are most helpful and interactive. The cafe is nice and overall a lovely place to spend a few hours. I have also attended the Friends of the Gardens Plant Sale and all the plants I bought have thrived, so I have a lasting memory of this place.

Its great the native walk saw wallabies bandicoots wombats lizards kookaburras great walking tracks and for bike riding playground native garden cafe