A week in Melbourne, Australia- 5/4- 5/10/2024

Day 4-Royal botanical garden-5/7/2024

We are now headed to the Royal Botanical gardens The Gardens were officially established in 1846, when swampy land on the south bank of the Yarra River was set aside for a botanic garden. Early on, Ferdinand von Mueller became Victoria’s Government Botanist (mid-1800s) and played a major role: building up the National Herbarium, introducing many exotic plant species, documenting native flora, etc. In 1873 William Guilfoyle took over and transformed the layout into the more “picturesque” style with sweeping lawns, winding paths, lakes, vistas, as opposed to strict formal gardens.

From behind Flinders Street Station, the city feels both historic and modern all at once. The train tracks stretch out in front of us, a web of steel carrying constant movement, while the skyline rises beyond in striking contrast. The curved silhouette of Collins Arch (blue building in the center), the gleaming height of the Eureka Tower (on the right), and the delicate spire of the Arts Centre Melbourne (far left) all stand tall against the sky, markers of Melbourne’s architectural diversity. From this vantage point, we are on the threshold between the urban core and the green expanse of the Royal Botanic Gardens ahead. 

Here we are crossing Swan Street Bridge, and from there you get one of those sweeping Melbourne views where city and river come together. The Yarra flows just beneath on the right side, and beyond it, the skyline rises with a cluster of tall buildings, from the sleek glass of the modern towers to the familiar outline of the Eureka Tower, all set against the open sky.

From the steps along the Main Yarra Trail, the river stretches wide and open, carrying a calmness that softens the city’s energy.  From here you get the full sweep of the Yarra, and the tall buildings of Melbourne rising ahead. It’s a perfect pause point, where the rhythm of the river seems to slow everything down, reminding you that the Botanic Gardens and the city are deeply tied to this flowing heart of Melbourne.

We are now following the pathway leading to the Royal Botanical gardens, the city noise begins to fade, replaced by birdsong and the rustle of leaves.

Ahead stands the ornamental metal gate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, its design adorned with stylized trees and the garden’s name worked elegantly into the iron.

As soon as you walked in the gate, you see the Temple of the Winds Rotunda.  It was built in 1901 to commemorate the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary) during the opening of Australia’s first Federal Parliament in Melbourne. Designed in a classical style, it has circular columns supporting a domed roof, giving it the elegant look of a small Greco-Roman temple. The rotunda sits on a raised platform overlooking the Gardens and the Yarra, and for more than a century it’s been used as a gathering spot for events, weddings, and quiet moments of reflection. It’s not just decorative, it’s also one of the Gardens’ most photographed landmarks, blending architecture, history, and landscape into a single scene.

As we followed the pathway deeper into the Gardens, the landscape suddenly feels grander, the giant trees rise above you like natural cathedrals.  Many are heritage-listed specimens, planted in the mid-1800s when the Gardens were first established. There are towering English elms, graceful cedars of Lebanon, and majestic Moreton Bay figs with their sprawling roots curling across the ground.

Huge Monterey Cypresses (Cupressus macrocarpa), a species native to the California coast but planted in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens in the 19th century. These trees are famous for their massive, gnarled trunks that seem to split into multiple thick branches low to the ground, creating wide, sculptural forms. Over time, their twisting limbs spread outward almost like great arms, giving them a dramatic, almost otherworldly presence. Many of them here are well over a hundred years old, and their size reflects both age and the perfect growing conditions provided by the Gardens.

Trees with giant trunks.

We are standing in front of a broad green lawn that stretches out ahead of us, dotted with benches that invite visitors to pause and take in the scenery.

Exotic plants in the gardens.

Enormous branches creating shade as we walked along the pathway. 

Fan Aloe, one for the striking succulents in the gardens.  Unlike many other aloes, this one has a distinctive shape: its flat, fan-like arrangement of leaves spreads out in neat rows, almost like an open hand. We are in the fall and there are still orange-red flower spikes in bloom.

We are now at the towering trees arch over the path, their branches meeting high above to form a kind of living tunnel. The light here is softer, shifting through layers of leaves, and the air feels cooler and more enclosed, almost like a secret passage.

A beautiful tree with orange and gold leave standing out vividly against the surrounding evergreens.

Another beautiful lawn with chairs for visitors to seat and enjoy the surroundings.

On the law are Australasian Swamphens, sometimes called purple swamphens. They’re striking wetland birds, easy to spot in the Royal Botanic Gardens. They have deep blue-purple plumage, a bright red bill and forehead shield, and long reddish legs with oversized toes, perfect for walking across reeds and marshy ground. Swamphens are quite social and bold; you’ll often see them strutting confidently across lawns or tugging at plants along the water’s edge. They feed mainly on reeds, grasses, and shoots, but they’ll also eat insects, snails, and even small aquatic animals.  They’re part of the everyday rhythm of the Gardens.

We are now at the small ornamental lakes near the Tecoma Pavilion, a quieter pocket of the Royal Botanic Gardens that feels almost hidden compared to the main Ornamental Lake.

The lotus plants are part of a long tradition of cultivating aquatic plants in the Gardens. Unfortunately, we are in the fall so the blooms are long gone, leaving behind their wide, umbrella-like leaves, some still green while others begin to wither and curl as the season turns.

The round leaves spread across the water’s surface like a patchwork.  I can only assume that it must be beautiful in the spring and summer when the pond is filled with white and pink blooms.

A huge basil bush with purple and white flowers.

French lavender on the left and Mexican Marigold still gorgeous in a bright yellow.

We have reached the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden, which includes the Sensory Garden, a space designed to engage touch, smell, sight, and sound. The green hut you see is part of the garden’s playful structures, inviting kids (and adults!) to explore, hide, or rest in between discovering the plants.

This part of the Gardens was created to encourage interactive learning, so you’ll often find plants chosen for their textures, aromas, and colors, like fuzzy lamb’s ear leaves, fragrant herbs, or rustling grasses.

This area is especially popular with families, but even outside of children’s activities, it’s a charming corner to wander through with more intimate and tactile compared to the grand avenues and lakes.

We stepped into a bamboo-lined pathway, where the tall, slender stalks rise closely together on either side. Their green canes sway gently in the breeze, and as they knock against one another, they create a soft, hollow rustling sound that’s almost musical.  At the end there is a bench for people to sit and admire the Lake.

Toward the end of the bamboo trail, you can see the Ornamental lake.

The bamboo-lined path led you to a small bridge with a metal railing, arching gently over a pond. From the bridge, the bamboo stalks continue on the left side.

Before we stepped into the shaded Fern Gully, we came across a lovely open space with benches, inviting visitors to sit and rest. Towering above the grassy area are magnolia trees, their broad, glossy leaves catching the autumn light. Even though it’s fall and the flowers are mostly gone, the magnolias’ stature and structure give the space a sense of elegance and calm.

As we stepped into the Fern Gully, we entered a dramatically different world from the open lawns and avenues. Towering tree ferns rise on either side of the path, their long, feathery fronds creating a green canopy. Interspersed among them are other shade-loving giants, cycads, and palm trees.

Walking along the wooden pathway in the Fern Gully, we are surrounded by a stunning variety of ferns.

 The wooden path elevates you just enough to appreciate the layers of plant life, from low-lying ground ferns to the mid-height clumps and finally the towering tree ferns. Light filters through the canopy, creating moving patterns on the fronds, and the combination of textures, shapes, and greens gives the feeling of walking through a miniature rainforest tucked into the heart of Melbourne.

The elkhorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum) is very common in the Royal Botanic Gardens.  They grow in clusters on tree trunks, with their shield fronds (round, flat leaves) pressed against the bark, helping them anchor. From the center, long green fronds fan outward like antlers, giving them that dramatic shape. They’re epiphytes, meaning they don’t take nutrients from the tree but gather moisture and organic matter from the air and rain.  In Melbourne’s gardens, they’re often used to create a lush, tropical look, especially in shady areas like the Fern Gully.

We are now done with the visit and we are walking back to where we came from.

A Walking Palm (Socratea exorrhiza), native to Central and South America. The most striking feature of this plant is its stilt roots, which grow well above the ground and splay outward like long legs. These roots give the tree stability in soft, swampy soils, but they’re also thought to help the tree “move” very slowly toward better light conditions over time (hence the nickname walking palm).

In the Royal Botanic Gardens, these palms are planted to showcase the diversity of tropical plants. Their unusual root structure makes them a real standout in the Fern Gully, where they contrast beautifully with the surrounding ferns and figs.

The Tristaniopsis laurina, commonly known as the Water Gum or Kanooka, is a large Australian native tree. It’s recognizable by its broad, spreading branches that create wide shade canopies, and its smooth, mottled bark that peels to reveal patches of cream, grey, and brown. The leaves are glossy green and lance-shaped, and in summer it produces clusters of small, fragrant yellow flowers that attract bees and birds. Because it naturally grows along riverbanks and moist gullies in eastern Australia, it thrives in the shaded, damp environment. Its spreading form adds a sense of grandeur to the pathways, contrasting with the vertical elegance of the palms and ferns.

The garden is so peaceful and so serene.

People just sitting around and enjoying nature.

We are now close to the exit.

As we were leaving the Royal Botanical gardens and we saw Gilson restaurant which is located really nearby.  The setting is warm and inviting with a mix of indoor and outdoor dining. There’s terrace with outdoor seating where you can enjoy views of trees (and glimpses of the gardens)

We got to sit next to a big window with a great view.

I had a vegetable quiche with a salad and Hoa ordered a hamburger.

What a nice place to have lunch.

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