Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne: History, location & attractions
The star attractions of the Queen Victoria Gardens in Melbourne are the Queen Victoria Memorial and Floral Clock. The gardens, just south of the Yarra River, are open 24 hours a day.
What is the Queen Victoria Gardens?
The Queen Victoria Gardens is a landscaped garden in Melbourne, Victoria. It was created in honour of Queen Victoria, and opened in 1905, four years after the Queen’s death.
Where is the Queen Victoria Gardens?
The Queen Victoria Gardens is part of the large swathe of parkland to the south-east of Melbourne City Centre. This stretches from the Yarra River opposite Federation Square to the Royal Botanic Gardens, and is collectively known as the Domain Parklands.
The Queen Victoria Gardens is almost triangular in shape, and is on the other side of St Kilda Road from the National Gallery of Victoria and Arts Centre Melbourne.
The walk from Federation Square to the Queen Victoria Gardens takes five minutes.
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.
Why visit the Queen Victoria Gardens?
Some Melbourne parks – notably Albert Park and Birrarung Marr – are all-action. That’s not the case with the Queen Victoria Gardens, which are designed to be peaceful and reflective. It’s a place for strolling past the daffodil beds in the spring and watching water birds on the ponds.
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.
Top attractions in the Queen Victoria Gardens
The main attraction in the Queen Victoria Gardens is theoretically the Queen Victoria Memorial. This statue is at the highest point of the gardens, and is made from marble and granite.
Most impressive, however, is the Floral Clock, which is made up of low-growing plants and retains the clock shape despite the display changing twice a year.
Explore a little further and you’ll also discover a monument to King Edward VII, a rotunda and several ornamental ponds.
👇 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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Queen Victoria Gardens opening hours
The Queen Victoria Gardens is open 24 hours a day, and there is no entrance fee.
Other attractions relatively nearby include the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australian Sports Museum, Immigration Museum and Melbourne Park tennis centre.
For other gardens, try the Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy or Cranbourne Gardens in the south of the city.
More information on Melbourne attractions
Albert Park Driving Range | Albert Park Grand Prix circuit | Australian Sports Museum | Birrarung Marr | Block Arcade | Brighton Beach | Brimbank Park | Carrum Beach | Chirnside Park | Cooks’ Cottage | Cranbourne Gardens | Dandenong Market | Edinburgh Gardens | Flagstaff Gardens | Immigration Museum | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne Park | Melbourne Skydeck | Melbourne Zoo | National Gallery of Victoria | Organ Pipes National Park | Prahran Market | Puffing Billy | Royal Exhibition Building | Sandringham Beach | South Melbourne Market | Spirit of Melbourne dinner cruise | St Kilda Sports Club | Werribee Open Range Zoo |