The Australian Garden – Cranbourne

Last weekend we ventured out with the little Lumps to the Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne. I have to say we were totally surprised to find the garden is made up of what looks like a series of modern installations.

We were expecting a large park type garden not unlike the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. The Garden was actually designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean in conjunction with Paul Thompson and they say the garden “Expresses the tension between our reverence and sense of awe for the natural landscape, and our innate impulse to change it, to make it into a humanly contrived form, beautiful, yet our own work.” This sculptural quality of the garden is completely obvious and it is a joy to meander through.

To begin we were greeted by beautifully straight paper bark Trees. We then gazed over a huge representation of Australia’s Red Centre. We waded in a rushing river alongside an amazing sculptural Corten steel wall. And we gushed at the colours and textures of the beautiful mass planting of Australian Flora. We cant wait to wander through stage two when it opens in Spring this year. No doubt the experience of Stage two will be as beautiful and inspiring as the first.