RBG Act and Regulations

Royal Botanic Gardens Act 1991 (PDF 157kb) (‘the Act’)

The Act contains information about the Royal Botanic Gardens' (RBG’s) objectives, the Royal Botanic Gardens Board (the Board), leases, licences and permits, finance and reporting obligations, the Corporate Plan and more.
To access the Act please click on the link above.

Royal Botanic Gardens Regulations 2004 (PDF 137kb) (the Regulations)

The Regulations commenced operation on 1 December 2004 replacing the Royal Botanic Gardens Regulations 1994. The Regulations govern many operational matters including entry to the Gardens, in Melbourne and Cranbourne, protection of plants and animals, sporting activities, commercial activities, dogs and vehicles in the Gardens and more.

The Regulations, among other things, specify what visitors cannot do in the Gardens including:

NO climbing on plants or trees or collecting flowers or plants
NO feeding any animals (including birds, reptiles and fish)
NO damaging, defacing or removing any sign, structure, facility, equipment or natural feature
NO camping or erecting any structures
NO leaving the lawns, pathways, walking tracks, roads or thoroughfares
NO climbing over fences or breaking through gates, fences, hedges or barriers
NO fires or BBQs
NO commercial activities or commercial functions without a permit. This includes wedding ceremonies and commercial photography or filming.
NO ball games or playing of any other games, including the throwing of Frisbees, that would cause danger to any person or animal or damage to any plants
NO playing or operating of sound producing devices (including devices that make, reproduce or amplify sound)
NO soliciting or collecting money, distributing handbills, pamphlets, books or other advertising placards or notices
Dogs must be on a leash at all times and any person in control of a dog in the Gardens must pick up and remove from the Gardens any faeces deposited by the dog.
NO dogs allowed at Cranbourne

The Regulations govern the use of the Gardens and Authorised Officers have been appointed to enforce those Regulations. All Authorised Officers carry formal identification. A breach of the Regulations or the Act may result in a fine (infringement notice), similar to a traffic infringement notice.

The fine payable is dependant on the penalty applicable to each specific regulation or section under the Act. Further details on penalties are available from the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s website.

Most visitors to the Gardens do the right thing, not just to avoid an infringement notice, but because they have a sense of pride in the Gardens and a desire to protect them for future generations. The Regulations are designed to ensure that visitors can enjoy their experience of the Gardens without undue disturbance from other people.

If you unsure of what you can and cannot do in the Gardens please check with staff at the Visitor Centre.

Important: The material provided above is intended as a summary and is for use as a general reference only. To access the complete Regulations please click on the link above.

Permits

Persons may be exempt from a number of the Regulations if they have a permit. Permits are required for:

Wedding ceremonies
Wedding and commercial photography and filming
Commercial videotaping and filming
Commercial functions and activities

Permits for commercial functions and activities are subject to approval based on the RBG’s objectives and values.

For information on all commercial functions or activities on lawns and photography of filming permits within the Gardens please contact http://www.blakesfeast.com.au/rbg.

For other venue functions please click here.