10 botanic gardens you must visit this spring
<p>Australia has some of the most beautiful botanic gardens in the world, and spring really is the perfect time to be visiting them. Here are 10 of the best.</p>
<p><strong>1. Royal Botanic Garden Sydney</strong></p>
<p>The oldest and (arguably) the finest gardens in Australia, Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens date back to 1816. It’s a tranquil oasis on the edge of Sydney Harbour, dotted with sunny lawns, shady fig trees, romantic rose gardens and meandering flowerbeds. More than one million native specimens from Australia and the South Pacific can be found here.</p>
<p><strong>2. Alice Springs Desert Park</strong></p>
<p>A botanic garden with a difference, the Desert Park sits at the base of the McDonnell Ranges and dispels the myth that the desert is empty. Over 400 plant species and 200 animal species native to central Australia live in three recreated desert environments. Visit bilbies in the Nocturnal House, get swooped by wedge-tailed eagles and learn indigenous traditions of desert survival.</p>
<p><strong>3. Hunter Valley Gardens</strong></p>
<p>Take a little time out of your wine tasting itinerary to stroll around the 740-acre Hunter Valley Gardens. There are a number of themed gardens within the park, including formal, rose, storybook and Japanese, all connected by more than eight kilometres of walking trails.</p>
<p><strong>4. Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne</strong></p>
<p>This world-renowned garden is right in the centre of Melbourne on the banks of the Yarra River. Covering 88 acres, the garden is one of the focal points of the city and a popular spot for picnics, weddings and sunny strolls. The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden is great for the kids with a ruin garden, wetland, gorge, plant tunnel and kitchen garden.</p>
<p><img width="498" height="330" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/27399/shutterstock_411656707_498x330.jpg" alt="melbourne botanical gardens" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>
<p><strong>5. Australian National Botanic Garden, Canberra</strong></p>
<p>Set just on the outskirts of the nation’s capital, the Australian National Botanic Garden is designed both for the use of visitors and as a scientific research facility. The garden cultivates endangered species for their protection and has a herbarium of preserved species. Visit after dark for a fascinating look at the garden’s nocturnal life.</p>
<p><strong>6. Malmsbury Botanic Garden, Macedon Ranges</strong></p>
<p>Dating back to the 1850s, Malmsbury is one of the oldest regional gardens in the country. The focal point is an ornamental lake with a 1930s bluestone fountain in the centre. Don't miss the Dutch elms in front of the lake, planted as a memorial to the soldiers of the First World War.</p>
<p><strong>7. Australian Garden, Cranbourne</strong></p>
<p>A sister site to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, this garden opened in 2006 and was designed to show the beauty and diversity of Australian native plants. There are a number of different environments, the most striking of which is the Red Sand Garden that emulates the vibrant colours of central Australia.</p>
<p><strong>8. Western Australian Botanic Garden, Perth</strong></p>
<p>See the gardens from above as you walk through the forest canopy on the 620-metre steel and glass bridge in these gardens just west of the Perth CBD. It’s devoted to the conservation of endangered native flora with some 400 species preserved in the Conservation Garden. The highlight is the 750-year-old giant boab tree that weighs 36 tonnes. It was gifted to the garden by local Aboriginal people and transported 3,200 kilometres to where it now sits.</p>
<p><strong>9. Queens Gardens, Townsville</strong></p>
<p>These heritage listed gardens were established in 1870 as a place to trial food plants. The garden is divided into four quadrants that include a formal rose garden, herb garden, rainforest walk and small hedge maze. A third of the garden was destroyed by Cyclone Yasi in 2011, though it remains a cool green escape from the tropical heat of the city.</p>
<p><strong>10. Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, Port Augusta</strong></p>
<p>One of the country’s most remote gardens can be found around 300 kilometres north of Adelaide, close to Port Augusta. It’s made up of arid desert, mangroves and the ancient Flinders Ranges and reaches all the way to the edge of the Spencer Gulf on the Great Australian Bight. It’s a paradise for bird lovers with more than 150 species that can be observed from hides.</p>
<p>What’s your favourite botanic garden in Australia?</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments below.</p>
<p><strong>Related links:</strong></p>
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