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From our award-winning Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria to the majestic Carlton Gardens, Melbourne is blessed with an abundance of lush, leafy escapes that are world-class – but now, there's officially another just a hop, skip and short drive away: the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne.
Recently named sixth among the world's must-see gardens by The New York Times, Cranbourne has been deemed as a botanical wonderland worth travelling across continents for. Boasting an array of more than 100,000 plants, this attraction is located just 50 kilometres southeast of Melbourne's CBD, so it's definitely worth the short trip!
It's the native sibling to Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and is the largest garden devoted exclusively to Australian plants. Completed in 2012, this sanctuary is a marvel of contemporary landscape design, spanning a 60-acre site that was once used as a sand quarry.
At the beating heart of Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is the Australian Garden, a striking composition of ponds, walkways, and artistic installations that highlights our country's flora. The Red Sand Garden – with its mesmerising circular patterns of saltbush and Edwina Kearney and Mark Stoner's 'Ephemeral Lake' ceramic installation – is also a standout.
Just steps away, there is also the Peppermint Garden, brimming with fragrant pinnate goodenia and the rare, endangered shrub Ziera adenophora. And let's not forget the Weird and Wonderful Garden, which lives up to its namesake, boasting quirky plants such as the bottle-shaped Queensland bottle tree and the intriguingly tangled leafless rock wattle.
Surrounding the manicured areas is also an impressive expanse of more than 800 acres of preserved bushland, crisscrossed by six miles of walking trails. Visitors may spot kangaroos, bandicoots, and even koalas – it's a sanctuary for both flora and fauna alike. Earning acclaim from global experts for its artistic innovation and ecological sensitivity, Cranbourne has firmly established itself on the international map of must-see gardens.
If you're a horticultural enthusiast, Melbourne has plenty of green hidden gems to explore. Check out this list of the best secret gardens and discover these dreamy pockets of nature.
These are the top ten gardens in the world:
- Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Cranbrook, England
- Great Dixter House & Gardens in Northiam, England
- Giardino di Ninfa in Cisterna di Latina, Italy
- Jacques Wirtz in Schoten, Belgium
- Saihoji Kokedera Temple and Moss Garden, Kyoto, Japan
- Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne in Cranbourne, Australia
- Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in Sydney, Australia
- The High Line in New York City
- Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Newlands, Cape Town
- Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana
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