Head to the scenic Fitzroy Gardens located amidst Melbourne’s busy cityscape. Take a stroll around the park and take in the natural landscape and historic sights, which are located throughout the gardens.
Heritage highlights include Captain Cook’s 1755 family home uprooted from Yorkshire and re-assembled here in the 1930s, a conservatory, and a collection of similarly strange fountains, statues, memorials and follies accumulated over the park’s 150 years.
A model Tudor Village is located in the middle of the gardens, created by London pensioner Edgar Wilson back in the 1940s. This miniature village is a replica of a typical Kentish village built during England's Tudor period. It was unveiled in Fitzroy Gardens by the lord mayor in 1948.
The park is blissfully underused, especially on the weekends. You can always find a secluded spot from which to admire the avenues of mature elms and rare specimen trees from the 19th century.
Fitzroy Garden's star attraction? That's gotta be the conservatory. This Spanish Mission-style conservatory was opened way back in March 1930. It currently exhibits five floral displays annually, meaning it’s in full bloom all year round with a mix of hydrangeas, fuchsias, begonias, cyclamens and calceolarias all making an appearance at some point. Pro tip: make sure your nasal passages are clear – the smell is incredible.
