Little-known fact: the Royal Botanic Gardens has an equally cool sister in Melbourne's southeast. The Cranbourne division of the Royal Botanic Gardens specialises in native Australian flora and spans over 350 hectares. The gardens are home to more than 100,000 plants, including those residing in the rugged Australian Garden, as well as a number of endangered Australian animals.
You could easily spend an entire day at these sprawling gardens, which have more than 10 kilometres of walking tracks weaving between the almost 2000 plant varieties. More than 450 of the plant species are native to Australia, representing what was once this country's natural landscape.
While you take breaks from wandering through the gardens, enjoy a picnic or barbeque, take in the views from a lookout tower or relax under shady shelters. Plus, there's the Boon Wurrung café where you can grab a tasty lunch. Admission to the gardens is free, you can find out more on the website.