Do you want to Travel …by Rob

In September 2023, my partner and I visited Cranbourne Gardens – a wonderful botanic garden south of Melbourne that’s a favourite of ours. We caught a train and then a free shuttle bus to the gardens (this can be organised – details on their website).
It was a wet and windy day – there were very few other visitors venturing out of the cafe area, and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk around.

There are a number of Gardens that make up Cranbourne, including a Water-Saving garden, a forest garden, stringybark, ironbox, “weird and wonderful”…. From the start at the spectacular Red Sand Garden, a rewarding stroll reveals so much about our wonderful native plants.

From the website: https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/cranbourne-gardens/ :
Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is made up of the Australian Garden, an award-winning, contemporary botanic garden, and the surrounding 300 hectares of remnant native bushland. Cranbourne Gardens is recognised as a site of State significance for plant and wildlife conservation, home to over 25 endangered or rare and threatened species.    

Completed in October 2012, the Australian Garden was transformed from a sand mine and scrub to a botanic garden of international standing. Designed by Victorian landscape architects, T.C.L., the Australian Garden aims to show visitors the diversity, beauty and functionality of Australian native plants.

The remnant bushland at Cranbourne Gardens is actively managed to control the number of non-indigenous plants and exotic weeds.