Landscape features

Guilfoyle’s Volcano

Guilfoyle’s Volcano, hidden for decades, is now erupting in full glory. A bold, contemporary landscape design features fascinating and unusual plants – succulents, arid-zone and native species – all adapted to survival in a changing climate.

The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden

The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden is a magical place to discover the world of plants. It’s a place where children can dig, build, imagine, create, hide... come and explore!

Melbourne Observatory

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne manages the site of the Melbourne Observatory. RBG Melbourne works closely with the Astronomical Society of Victoria (ASV) to maintain this historical site and provide regular public tours.

Water wise gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens is committed to using water wisely and providing examples of water conserving plants and garden design.

Islands

Did you know that there are seven islands within the lake system at the RBG?

These lakes form an integral part of the landscape in that they frame vistas through the broad expanse of lake water and offer sanctuary to fauna and some indigenous flora found in the Gardens.

Shelters and Resthouses

There are eight pavilions and rest houses at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (RBG Melbourne). Providing protection and a place to rest, and they also provide a place to enjoy the many different views across the Gardens, and they were designed and built with interesting rustic features.

Nareeb Gates

The Nareeb Gates were constructed in England and stood at ‘Nareeb’ estate in Toorak for 60 years. They were bequeathed to the National Trust of Australia by the owners and erected at the D Gate entrance to the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (RBG Melbourne) in 1966. They were officially declared open on the 15 November 1967.

Canna Bed Rain Garden

The Canna Bed Rain Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (RBG Melbourne) takes polluted stormwater run-off, filters it and uses it to irrigate the Cannas. The filtered water then drains into the Gardens’ lake system, improving the water quality of the lakes.

Observatory gates

The newest and most recent entrance gates at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (RBG Melbourne) were installed on the redeveloped Observatory site. Known as O Gate, these grand gates stand near the Visitor Centre on the path to the Gardens proper.

Tropical Display – Glasshouse

The Tropical Display – Glasshouse showcases plants from tropical regions around the globe, and displays some of the most important and spectacular tropical rainforest plants known to man.

National Herbarium of Victoria

The National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL) houses a collection of approximately 1.2 million dried plant, algae and fungi specimens from all around the world. The majority of the collection is Australian, with a particular emphasis on the flora of Victoria. MEL's collection is rich in historical specimens and foreign-collected specimens: about half of the specimens were collected before 1900, and one third were collected overseas.

Plant Craft Cottage

The Plant Craft Cottage consists entirely of volunteers working to keep plant crafts alive and to maintain the heritage listed building situated in the Royal Botanic Gardens.  It is the oldest building in public gardens in Victoria.

Sculpture in the Gardens

Sculpture in the Gardens fact sheet (MS Word - 618 kb)