Birding Tours

Discover the beauty of this inner-city oasis and enjoy live commentary in the comfort of an open-air minibus. Admire rolling lawns and the stunning living collections at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.  For private group bookings, please call 03 9252 2429 or email mbookings@rbg.vic.gov.au. School Holiday Explorer Bus Children ride for HALF PRICE on the School Holiday Explorer Bus during the Victorian school holidays. Experience amazing sights, sounds and scents as you cruise through Melbourne Gardens on this tour designed especially for families.

wominjeka! Journey into Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with a First Peoples guide.  Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia through a journey of identifying significant native plants within the Gardens. Learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country. For private group bookings, please call 03 9252 2429 or email mbookings@rbg.vic.gov.au. A note for participants. At Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria we acknowledge the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, representing more than 250 language groups across Australia. We invite you to join this walk with an open heart and mind to deepen your understanding of First Peoples' heritage and living culture—especially in relation to the plants and landscapes of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Originating from Japan, Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a preventative health practice that improves and strengthens mental and physical wellbeing. Recognised as a public health practice in Asia and Europe, Forest Therapy is gaining global acclaim as an evidence-based, cost-effective and natural remedy – a ‘green prescription’ for a healthier you. You will learn simple nature connection, sensory and creative practices to help calm your mind. Other proven health benefits of Forest Therapy include boosted immune system, reduced stress levels, regulated pulse and blood pressure and better sleep. For exclusive group experiences, team-building, or staff wellbeing programs please email: events@rbg.vic.gov.au. Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, In My Nature and the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA).

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is full of incredible birdlife, from coots to cormorants, spinebills to swans. On this guided walk, spot water birds nesting around Ornamental Lake and delight in the sights and sounds of the birds that call the Gardens home. Continue your discovery with a take-home bird guide.

A free guided walk is the perfect way to enjoy the sunny weather in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Led by a passionate guide, discover the remarkable plant diversity of this sanctuary in the middle of bustling Melbourne.

Do you want to understand how climate change is affecting our plants and wildlife and contribute to climate change research? Join our ClimateWatch advocates on this free guided walk to monitor biodiversity at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Learn about indicator species of plants and animals and how climate change is affecting their seasonal behaviour. The data you observe and record will help shape Australia’s scientific response to climate change. Make a real difference in your local community. Download the ClimateWatch app prior to the tour. Learn more at www.climatewatch.org.au.

Pack your headphones, set off along the meandering path andimmerse yourself in Australian Drylands, the latest episodein our much-loved audio series Sonica Botanica. Explore the stories, themes and science behind this experimental new garden, created in response to the challenge of climate change.  Big topics need big voices; you’ll hear interviews andconversations with horticulturists and scientists from ourexpert team as well as biogeographer, Prof. Michael-ShawnFletcher (Wiradjuri) and award-winning poet Dr Jeanine Leane(Wiradjuri), whose words have become a material part of theAustralian Drylands landscape. Visit the featured locations, scan the Sonica Botanica QR code and take in these sublime sonic snapshots or listen online now. Best enjoyed through headphones. Image credit: Igor Sapina 

Moonlight Cinema is back this summer at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Enjoy movies under the stars with your favourite cult classics, box office blockbusters and family flicks. Don’t miss the chance to spend a summer evening in this spectacular green oasis.

Glide between the bays and islands of Ornamental Lake on a guided boat cruise.

Embark on a captivating journey through time and space with our guided tours at the Melbourne Observatory. Dating back to 1861, discover the Melbourne Observatory’s significant place in Victoria’s history and its continued importance as a cultural and heritage site. Experience two of the iconic telescopes housed in the buildings of the Observatory and learn how to use a telescope yourself on the Observatory Viewing Lawn. Delve into distant nebulae, lunar landscapes, and planetary wonders. Join the Astronomical Society of Victoria’s passionate guides for an unforgettable night, where the present, history and cosmos converge. Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and The Astronomical Society of Victoria.

Join Ratty, Mole, Badger, Otter, Portly, and, of course, Mr Toad as they bring Glenn Elston’s adaption of Kenneth Grahame’s immortal story of life on the riverbank to the stage. This critically acclaimed outdoor theatre production delivers music, songs, and laughs for the whole family. There is fun for young and old as the Head Chief Rabbit transforms the audience into rabbits with a waggle of the ears and a wiggle of the nose. The young ‘rabbits’ are encouraged to get involved in the action and are given every opportunity to scream out loud, sing along and become part of the adventure. With laughs and surprises for children and adults, this is interactive theatre at its best. Celebrating over 35 years in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, The Wind in the Willows is Australia’s best-loved affordable family entertainment. Presented by Glenn Elston & The Australian Shakespeare Company.

Set your young ones on an adventure exploring the wondrous scenery, plants and creatures of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with our Seek and Find Nature Cards, especially developed by artist Claire Mosley. Collect a card from the Visitor Centre and explore the different landscapes and living collections as you search for all things big and small.  

Visitors to the Gardens can listen to an exclusive podcast interview with celebrated writer Olivia Laing, interviewed by Sophie Cunningham.  Olivia discusses her new book, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise, which moves between real and imagined gardens, exploring how new modes of living can and have been attempted amidst the flower beds. Listen as you walk through the Gardens, and experience first-hand the joy of wandering in nature. Available online to listen anytime. Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre. Image credit: Olivia Laing, image by Sandra Mickiewicz

Children ride HALF PRICE on the School Holiday Explorer Bus during the school holidays. Experience amazing sights, sounds and scents as you cruise through the Gardens on this tour designed especially for families. Breathe in the fragrances of different eucalypt trees as you take in the colours of the landscape and learn why plants are so important for our planet.

Celebrate the most comically chaotic characters Shakespeare ever imagined! Join The Mechanicals from A Midsummer Night’s Dream as they barrel head-first through the Bard’s greatest hits in Peter Quince Presents: Shakespeare’s Best Bits. A riotous romp where pantaloons meet Python and the Bard meets pure buffoonery, this troupe of well-meaning misfits will stop at nothing to impress and earn their place at the Duke’s wedding. Armed with boundless enthusiasm and only a vague understanding of Shakespeare’s collected works, they boldly workshop iconic scenes - with gloriously disastrous results. Expect blunders, bravado and belly-laughs as these loveable fools turn classics inside-out and upside-down. If A Midsummer Night’s Dream made you smile, this is your must-see summer comedy. Big laughs and big heart! Shakespeare unshackled, unplugged, and utterly unforgettable. Whether you’re a thespian or a tradie, you’ll be rolling in the grass with laughter. Presented by The Australian Shakespeare Company.