Royal Botanic Gardens as Melbourne’s riverside landscape

Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne forms a broad green landscape along the southern bank of the Yarra River, combining lawns, lakes and botanical collections shaped over the course of the nineteenth century.

A riverside garden shaped in the Victorian era

The Melbourne section of Royal Botanic Gardens was founded in 1846, when land on the south side of the Yarra River was reserved for a botanic garden close to Government House and the Melbourne Observatory.founded in 1846 The site choice placed the gardens within walking distance of the growing town centre while giving them slopes and river frontage to work with.riverside setting

Charles La Trobe, then Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, selected the ground from marshland and swamp on the river’s southern bank in the mid 1840s.selected the site An initial fenced area of about 2 ha (5 acres) was laid out near Anderson Street and the river, and over the later nineteenth century the reserve expanded to roughly 36 ha (89 acres) as additional land from the surrounding Domain was incorporated.enlarged from 2 ha to 36 ha

Directors, landscapes and the National Herbarium

In 1857 Ferdinand von Mueller became the first permanent director, having already served as government botanist in Victoria.Ferdinand von Mueller Under his direction the gardens gained a strong scientific dimension, with the National Herbarium of Victoria established near the living collections as a centre for taxonomic study of plants from Australia and beyond.National Herbarium of Victoria

William Guilfoyle took over as Director in 1873 and reshaped Royal Botanic Gardens into a more picturesque landscape between the 1870s and early twentieth century.picturesque landscape Under Guilfoyle, straight paths were replaced with sweeping curves, avenues were softened and open lawns were dotted with specimen trees, shrubberies and themed beds framed around broad ornamental lakes.comprehensively relandscaped from 1873 to 1909

Layout, water and plant collections

Royal Botanic Gardens spreads over gently undulating ground above the Yarra River, with paths that climb and fall between tree groups, lawns and water bodies. Ornamental lakes form broad surfaces at the heart of the garden, edged by banks of shrubs and trees that reflect in the water and create long views across the site.ornamental lakes and sweeping lawns

The plant collections range from subtropical trees and palms to beds devoted to particular regions such as California, New Caledonia and southern China, as well as long borders of perennials and grasses.regional plant collections Structures in the grounds include the National Herbarium of Victoria and buildings associated with scientific work, set among the planting rather than dominating it.herbarium and research facilities

Visiting Royal Botanic Gardens: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Royal Botanic Gardens lies south of central Melbourne on the southern bank of the Yarra River, adjacent to Government House and the Melbourne Observatory, and can be reached on foot from the city centre.
• The terrain within the gardens is gently undulating, with sloping lawns, lakeside paths and some longer walks between different plant collections that require comfortable footwear.
• The gardens sit beside the Yarra River opposite inner-city districts and sports grounds, so city streets, riverfront walks and other public parklands are close at hand.
• Australia’s official language is English and the currency is the Australian dollar.

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Frequently asked questions about Royal Botanic Gardens

Where is Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne located?

Royal Botanic Gardens lies on the southern bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne, adjacent to Government House and the Melbourne Observatory and close to the central city.

What should visitors expect during a walk through the gardens?

Visitors walk through sweeping lawns, lakeside paths and varied plant collections ranging from subtropical trees to themed beds, with long views and smaller enclosed corners.

What makes Royal Botanic Gardens distinctive among Melbourne’s green spaces?

Royal Botanic Gardens combines a nineteenth-century picturesque landscape by William Guilfoyle with scientific facilities such as the National Herbarium of Victoria, all within a riverside setting beside the Yarra River.