Dos and don'ts

The following activities are welcome within the Gardens:

• Walking dogs - dogs must be on a leash at all times. Any person in control of a dog in the Gardens must pick up and remove from the Gardens any faeces deposited by the dog.
  
• • Please note that dogs are not permitted within The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden. If you are planning to visit the Children’s Garden, please consider leaving your dog at home.
  • As a consideration to other people (and your pet), please do not leave your dog unattended in the Gardens.
• Responsible consumption of alcohol. We also have two licensed venues on-site.

RBG Act and Regulations

The Royal Botanic Gardens Act (PDF - 400 kb)

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.

Royal Botanic Gardens Regulations (PDF - 137 kb)

These Regulations govern many operational matters including entry to the Gardens at Melbourne and Cranbourne, protection of plants and animals, sporting activities, commercial activities, dogs and vehicles in the Gardens and more.

The Regulations are designed to ensure that visitors can enjoy their experience of the Gardens without undue disturbance from other people. Consequently, the Regulations, among other things, specify what visitors cannot do in the Gardens, including:

• climbing on plants or trees or collecting flowers or plants
• feeding any animals (including birds, reptiles and fish)
• damaging, defacing or removing any sign, structure, facility, equipment or natural feature
• camping or erecting any structure
• leaving the lawns, pathways, walking tracks, roads or thoroughfares
• climbing over fences or breaking through gates, fences, hedges or barriers
• fires or BBQs
• commercial activities or functions, including wedding ceremonies and commercial photography or filming, without a permit
  
• 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
• playing or operating of sound producing devices (including devices that make, reproduce or amplify sound)
• soliciting or collecting money, distributing handbills, pamphlets, books or other advertising placards or notices.

At RBG Melbourne, 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

Under RBG regulations, the scattering of ashes within the Gardens is strictly prohibited. Families may wish to remember their loved one with a plaque as part of the Seat Sponsorship Program. Please contact the Development team on (03) 9252 2303 for more details.

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

The fine payable depends on the penalty applicable to the specific Regulation or section of the Act. Further details on penalties are available from the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden has specific policies relating to visitor behaviour. We encourage visitors to familiarise themselves with these details when planning their visit.

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.

If you are unsure about what you can or 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 refer to the Royal Botanic Gardens Regulations (PDF - 137 kb).

Permits

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

• wedding ceremonies
• wedding photography
• commercial functions and activities
• commercial photography and filming
• commercial videotaping and filming.

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, wedding ceremonies, and wedding photography or filming permits within the Gardens, please contact Blakes Feast.

For other venue functions please visit the Cafés-functions-weddings page on our website.

For commercial photography, videotaping and filming please visit the Commercial filming and photography page of our website.