If you are new to Melbourne, on holiday or whether you have lived there all your life, Melbourne Park and The Royal Botanic Gardens are a must see. With much to offer, these venues will keep you entertained for hours, so lets jump in and see what makes these places so great.
Melbourne Park and surrounding arenas play host to some of the worlds most premiere sports, concerts, functions and exhibitions and over the road is the Melbourne Cricket ground. With over three state of the art arenas, ovals, tennis courts and multiple function areas there is always something going on whether it be the Australian Open, Ballet, Rock Concerts, Rugby League both local and international, as well as various other sports such as cycling, swimming, running and other track and field events..
The Melbourne Park Function Center is a magnificent facility which covers over 2,200 square feet. It offers catering services and hosts a number of different functions such as business meetings, exhibitions, conventions, gala balls, award shows, banquets, launches, parties and almost anything else you can think of. This place has truly everything for the best day out with on site cafes, transport and parking to make your experience the best that it can be.
If watching some world class sports, concerts or exhibitions aren't really your style then why not head over the bridge from Melbourne Park to the Royal Botanic Gardens? These gardens have been noted to be some of the best in the world with excellent maintenance and a superb display of plants and lawns. The Melbourne botanical gardens feature theme based gardens, lawns, pavilions, temples, cottages and three lakes which all offer a fun and relaxing viewing and learning experience for adults and children alike. Some of the theme based gardens include a Herb Garden, full of a wondrous variety of great smelling herbs set in a beautiful Elizabethan style garden.
Gray Garden. This garden showcases plants with gray colored foliage, features the Temple Of The Winds and gives a great view of the river and city. A Southern Chinese Collection, this garden is simply stunning, offering a variety of rare and common plants from China.
The Melbourne Botanic Gardens also include the New Zealand Collection, the New Caledonia Collection, the Camellia Collection, showcasing some of winters best assets with hundreds of different varieties, the Cycad Collection, the Canary Island Collection as well as many others from all over the world. Some of the favorite garden attractions are Fern Gully, a beautiful look into a deep tropical rainforest with exquisite array of ferns and plants and also the Cacti and Succulent Collection, this collection features some of the most weirdest and strangest plants of all, with a dry, hard landscape this truly pulls off the old western sort of feel.
There is also a Children's Collection that lets the youngsters learn, play, dig and explore for hours of fun. Other features around the Melbourne botanical gardens are the Lakes, the most popular of these is the Ornamental Lake which also is the biggest of the three and offers a great place for family picnics. The gardens are always gaining new collections and plants, they are open seven days a week with much to see, do and learn. Walking around the entire facility usually takes about three hours, you can do it yourself or as part of a tour. The Melbourne Botanic gardens is open for picnics and special occasions such as parties and weddings and also has cafes and stores. They have transport and on site parking as well as disability access so everyone can enjoy their day with ease.
Melbourne Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens truly do offer a great day out for everyone, no matter what your interests are, you'll find it there.