Support a Garden Project

These are just some examples of Royal Botanic Gardens’ projects being supported by generous donors, who wish to give for the benefit and enjoyment of Melburnians and her visitors.

A new Australian Garden

The new world-class Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne showcases the beauty of Australian flora amid stunning and innovative landscapes, and has already won 17 design and tourism awards.

Guilfoyle’s Volcano

The resurrection of the volcano-shaped reservoir built by Director William Guilfoyle in 1876 has revived a piece of Melbourne’s history. Guilfoyle's Volcano has added spectacular volcano-themed plantings and public walkways to the Gardens, and created a venue for educational programs and the demonstration of leading-edge practices in efficient water usage.

Working Wetlands

This ambitious project will result in a stormwater harvesting system and a series of created lake wetlands that will act as a bio-filter for introduced stormwater. Responding to the urgent need to increase water levels in the Ornamental Lake, a visual centerpiece of the Gardens, the Working Wetlands will also dramatically improve lakewater health by reducing blue-green algae and prepare the lakes for use as a future storage facility for new water sources.

Curating botanical collections

Several projects either completed, in-progress or awaiting funding relate to the curation and documentation of hundreds of thousands of invaluable plant specimens held in the National Herbarium of Victoria. Some specimens date back to before European settlement of Australia, and many are held within the important sub-collections of eminent nineteenth- and twentieth-century botanists. Specimens are regularly used for local and international plant classification work, specialised research, and to assist with and inform conservation projects.

Australia's Virtual Herbarium

The National Herbarium of Victoria participated in the creation of Australia's Virtual Herbarium, which has provided scientists, botanists and gardening enthusiasts with unprecedented online access to plant specimen data from Australia's major herbaria.

Research and conservation

Scientific projects are continually implemented to increase our understanding of and ability to conserve Australian biodiversity and improve resource management, including protection of endangered native orchids, post-fire recovery of alpine vegetation, and the management of urban hydrophobic soils. Visit the Conservation research page on our website for information.

Historic rest houses, pavilions and living plant collections

Restoration and construction of historic rest houses, pavilions and living plant collections has ensured the preservation of many of the resplendent historical structures and plant collections in the heritage gardens at South Yarra, ensuring their availability for the enjoyment of the general public for years to come.

If you would like to discuss making a significant gift to a project within a particular part of the Royal Botanic Gardens and its work, please contact the Development Branch on +61 3 9252 2312 or email development.