Cranbourne Gardens, Melbourne: Tours, best walks & opening hours
The Cranbourne Gardens offer 1,700 Australian plant species. The Explorer Tour and Great Southern Land walking tour help make sense of these plants and the ecosystem they live in.
What are the Cranbourne Gardens?
The Cranbourne Gardens in Melbourne’s south-east is a sister attraction to the Royal Botanical Gardens south of the Yarra River in Melbourne.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne (to use the full title) focuses on the plants and ecosystems of south-east Australia. In the Australian Garden alone, there are approximately 170,000 plants, covering 1,700 species.
14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne
- Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
- See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
- Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
- A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
- The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
- Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
- Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
- Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
- Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.
With more than 10km of walking tracks and six kilometres of cycling tracks, it’s easy enough to explore the Cranbourne Gardens at your own pace. There’s also a lookout tower, public barbecues and playgrounds.
Cranbourne Gardens tours
Overseas visitors, however, might be more interested in the special guided tours of the Cranbourne Gardens. The simplest of these gardens tours is the Explorer – an open air bus tour that looks a little like a kiddy train.
These Royal Botanic Gardens tours cost $10, and start in the Red Sand Garden. They then move on to the Australian Garden, around the river bend and through the Peppermint Garden. Commentary along the way explains the various species and the roll they play in the ecosystem.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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Cranbourne Gardens walk
More in-depth are the Great Southern Land walks, which focus on the Australian Garden. Departing at 11am every day, these hour-long walking tours look at the unique qualities of Australian plants and how they adapt to the Australian climate. The Great Southern Land walks cost $8 per person.
Unless you’re doing one of the tours, however, entrance to the Cranbourne Gardens is free. For more information, visit the Royal Botanic Gardens website.
How to do Melbourne IN STYLE
If there’s a special occasion while you’re in Melbourne, consider splashing out on these memory-making experiences…
- An indulgent Yarra Valley food and wine tour – with lunch at Yering Station.
- A sunrise hot air balloon flight across the city – followed by a champagne breakfast.
- See the city by helicopter.
- A private Great Ocean Road tour – with an early start to beat the crowds.
- Tandem skydive from 14,000ft – and land on the beach.
Cranbourne Gardens opening hours
The opening hours of the Cranbourne Gardens are 9am to 5pm, every day except Christmas Day.
Melbourne to Cranbourne
The Cranbourne Gardens are at the southern end of Cranbourne. Getting there by public transport is a bit of a nuisance. Luckily, there is a free shuttle service between Cranbourne Station and the Cranbourne Gardens. Advance booking is required if you want a place on the shuttle.
If you’ve got a hire car, the Melbourne to Cranbourne drive is 58km in distance. But it takes about 57 minutes to get to the Gardens. Most of the Melbourne to Cranbourne drive is along the M1.
Other attractions relatively nearby include the Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale and Carrum Beach.
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